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Preparing Green Tea: This is How it Does Not Become Bitter

Preparing green tea takes a lot of learning: you have to pay attention to a few things when it comes to the infusion and the temperature so that the green tea doesn’t become bitter and the desired effect occurs.

Green tea is said to have many positive effects on the metabolism, fat burning and the immune system. Since it contains caffeine, it also wakes you up and is better tolerated than coffee.

If you want to prepare green tea in the traditional Japanese way, there are a lot of things to consider: the type of tea, the brewing time, the water quality, the temperature and the amount of tea. The teapot can also affect the taste.

Preparing green tea: that’s what matters

The water temperature and brewing time are particularly important when preparing green tea. If it brews too long, it becomes bitter. If it is too short, it hardly tastes good. If the water is too hot, good ingredients such as antioxidants or tanning agents are dissolved. If the water is too cold, these substances are not bound in the water and your tea has no effect.

For a good green tea you have to pay attention to the following:

Use low lime water
Brewing time: Depends on the type of tea, but no longer than three minutes
Water temperature: depending on the type of tea between 60 and 90 degrees Celsius
Amount of tea: 1 -2 teaspoons loose tea or 1 tea bag (approx. 10 g)
Amount of water: depending on the type of tea, one cup to one pot
In most cases, the packaging states how much tea needs to be brewed, for how long and at what degrees.

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Food

Isomalt: Why Sugar-free Candies are Often Not Calorie-free

What is Isomalt? Where is the sugar substitute found and why is it considered “sugar-free” even though it has calories?

When it comes to sweets, many people turn to a sugar-free alternative – it’s better for the teeth and supposedly calorie-free. Unfortunately, this is often not true: Isomalt, for example, is a common sugar substitute in sugar-free foods – and it is actually sugar-free, but by no means low in calories.

What is Isomalt?

Isomalt is a sugar substitute (more precisely: a sugar substitute) and has the E number E953. In nature, the sugar alternative occurs, for example, in sugar beets. Isomalt is odorless, white and crystalline. The sugar substitute is also available in liquid form.

Isomalt for the food industry is produced from normal beet sugar in two processing steps:

In the first step, isomaltulose is extracted from the beet sugar with the help of enzymes.
In the next step, isomalt is obtained by hydrolysis – the splitting of chemical compounds by water.

What foods contain isomalt?

Isomalt is used in the production of many sugar-free and low-sugar foods: candies, baked goods, mustard, sauces, jams and desserts. Since isomalt only slightly affects blood sugar and insulin levels, it is particularly suitable for diabetics and is contained in many diabetic foods. It is used in corn flakes for its technical properties to improve the crunch.

In addition, isomalt is used in pharmacy and in animal feed production. And in technical applications, Isomalt is used as a stabilizer (e.g. in the production of PVC), plasticizer, adhesive or binder.

Identification: How do I recognize isomalt?

The Food Information Regulation of 2014 regulates the labeling of isomalt: sweeteners and sugar alcohols – to which isomalt belongs – are summarized under the term “sweeteners”.

Foodstuffs containing sweeteners must be labeled “with sweetener(s)”. In addition, the sweetener must also be included in the list of ingredients. For isomalt, for example, this could look like this: “sweetener isomalt” or “sweetener E 953”.

Why is isomalt “sugar-free” and still has calories?

Isomalt has almost the same sweetening power as normal sugar and can be processed in a similar way. However, anyone who assumes that “sugar-free” foods – which contain isomalt – are also calorie-free is wrong. Although isomalt has only half as many calories as sugar, it is still two calories per gram. So if you’re watching your calorie intake, don’t be misled by the “sugar-free” description.

However, isomalt has a lower glycemic index (GI) than regular sugar. The GI indicates how a carbohydrate-containing food affects blood sugar levels. A score below 50 is considered low. An index of two to a maximum of nine was found for isomalt in various studies. This means that, in contrast to normal household sugar (GI = 68), isomalt is more suitable for diabetics and people who want to lose weight.

Isomalt: tooth-friendly sugar substitute

Compared to normal sugar, isomalt is also significantly better for the teeth: It forms very little acid because it is not metabolized by the microorganisms in the mouth due to its stability. Isomalt has only a very low potential to trigger caries and is considered to be tooth-friendly.

Alternatives to isomalt

Isomalt has clear advantages: it is tooth-friendly, has a low glycemic index and only half the calories of regular beet sugar. However, don’t let the term “sugar-free” fool you: Many sugar-free foods are not also calorie-free. And the sugar substitute has another disadvantage: in large quantities, isomalt can have a laxative effect.

A calorie-free sugar alternative is erythritol. It is made by fermenting grape sugar. Like isomalt, it has only a minor effect on blood sugar and insulin levels. However, this sugar alternative is truly zero-calorie.

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Cooking Tips

To Peel Persimmons or Not? This is How You Eat Them Properly

Whether or not it is necessary to peel persimmons depends on several factors. In this article you will learn how to best consume the sweet exotic fruits and what you should bear in mind when doing so.

Whether you peel persimmons or not depends on your preferences. Basically, the skins of the persimmons are edible and you can eat the orange fruits with their skins.

Unripe persimmons do not taste good due to the high tannin content. Therefore, when shopping, you should consider whether you want to eat the persimmons right away or in a few days. In this article, you will not only learn how to eat persimmons correctly, but also how to recognize and influence the right degree of ripeness.

The persimmon is the sweet fruit of the persimmon tree and originally comes from Asia. Persimmon trees need warmer growing areas because they are not frost-resistant. There is therefore no significant commercial cultivation of the orange fruit in Germany. Most of the growing areas are in China, Korea and Japan.

There are now also European kakis on the market, for example from Spain. In order to avoid long transport routes, you should prefer these fruits to those from Asia. If possible, buy kakis in organic quality: they are free of chemical-synthetic pesticides.

Peeling persimmons: you should know that

You don’t have to peel persimmons to eat them. However, there are a few basic things you should keep in mind if you want to eat persimmons with the skin on.

Use organic persimmons as their skins are untreated. In principle, however, you can also eat the skin of conventionally grown fruits.
You should always wash fruit thoroughly before eating. More about this here: Washing fruit properly: What to do about pesticides on the skin?
Depending on the type of persimmon, the skin varies in thickness. Thick-skinned specimens taste better peeled.
This is how you eat persimmons correctly

Wash the persimmons thoroughly with cold water.
Halve the fruit lengthwise.
Remove the hard carpels and the light-colored base of the stalk.
Cut the fruit lengthwise into four or eight wedges.
Whether you peel the kaki or eat it with the peel is up to you. If you want to peel the persimmons, cut the flesh off the skin, similar to a melon.
Scoop out persimmons

When persimmons are fully ripe and very juicy, they are easier to spoon than to cut:

Wash the persimmons thoroughly with cold water.
Halve the fruit lengthwise.
Using a small spoon, scoop the insides of the persimmon straight out of the shell.

Recognizing the right degree of ripeness of persimmons

In order to withstand the long transport routes, the harvested persimmons are usually still unripe. Unripe persimmons contain a high proportion of the vegetable tanning agent tannin. When you eat them, this gives you a furry sensation in your mouth. However, tannins are not harmful to health. As it ripens, the sugar content in the persimmon increases and the orange fruit tastes juicy and sweet.

In addition to the actual kaki, you will also find the cultivated forms in the trade

honey apple
persimmon and
Sharon.
The cultivated forms contain significantly less tannin and you can therefore eat them in a harder state.

This is how you can tell that the persimmon is ripe

The persimmon is ripe when it is very soft. The persimmon has reached the perfect degree of ripeness when the pulp shimmers through the skin with a glassy sheen. Fully ripe persimmons yield slightly when pressed lightly with your fingers. The shell should not show any brown spots or dents.

Transport and store ripe persimmons

When fully ripe, the persimmon is very sensitive to pressure. Therefore, make sure that you pack ripe persimmons to protect them from pressure when you buy them, so that you can transport them home safely. Store ripe persimmons refrigerated and eat within a day or two.

Allow unripe persimmons to ripen

If the persimmon is not yet ripe, you can store it next to bananas or apples for a few days. These secrete ethylene, which stimulates other fruit to ripen faster.

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Food

List of Kitchen Herbs: These Herbs Should Not Be Missing in any Kitchen

Fresh kitchen herbs unfold a much more intense aroma than dry spices – and you can grow them yourself. Here is our top 10 list for refining your food.

What would tomato and mozzarella be without basil leaves or pizza sauce without oregano? Freshly cut kitchen herbs give your dishes a lot of flavor. On top of that, you can be sure that no pesticides will get into your home-grown herb.

Top 10 list of kitchen herbs: treats with medicinal properties

There are hundreds of different kitchen herbs and so the list of personal favorites will vary greatly for everyone. The following selection of kitchen spices will give you inspiration for your own kitchen.

The biennial parsley is one of the most popular herbs in German kitchens. So that it does not lose its spicy-intensive aroma, it should be cooked for a maximum of a short time. The spice from the umbelliferae group is extremely rich in vitamins and is said to be good for the bladder and digestion. Parsley grows best in bright locations without direct sunlight. You should avoid waterlogging.
The strong, spicy chives not only refine dishes with their slight spiciness, but are also said to keep pests away in the garden due to their strong smell. For a bountiful harvest, you should remove the flowers regularly and divide the plant every spring as it needs space to grow.
Dill is a spicy-tart, slightly sweet kitchen herb. It is particularly suitable for the preparation of fish and salads. The annual umbellifer needs sufficient moisture for its growth and you can harvest it continuously from a growth height of 15 centimeters.
The refreshing, aromatic basil goes well with refining tomatoes and salads. However, the plants available in the supermarket usually do not last long because they are planted far too closely together in nutrient-poor soil. It is best to repot the basil into a larger pot or into the garden immediately after purchase.
Oregano is a staple pizza spice for most. The essential oregano oil can have an antibacterial effect on wounds. If you want to plant oregano yourself, you should pay attention to a warm and sunny place. As with all kitchen herbs, it is important to keep sufficient distance between the individual plants.
The spicy, slightly smoky thyme is particularly suitable for Mediterranean dishes and can help as a home remedy for coughs. Thyme likes it dry, sunny and occasional fertilization.
Mint not only freshens breath as a tea, but also gives sauces, marinades and desserts a piquant, spicy-fresh note. You can also use it for homemade lemonade. As a kitchen herb, it likes partial shade, well fertilized and moist.
Lemon balm leaves are known as a calming tea. But the lemony-tasting medicinal herb is also suitable for refining sweet and savory dishes. The perennial kitchen spice likes it sunny and nutritious. You should avoid waterlogging.


The sour-fruity taste of sage is ideal for vegetarian dishes. Sage also has an anti-inflammatory effect and is popular as a tea during the cold season. The spice likes it sunny and dry.
Lemongrass is a herb from Asian cuisine and gives dishes a lemony aroma. So that it grows well in the kitchen, you can use potting soil mixed with a little sand as a substrate. Lemongrass likes it bright and moist, but it does not tolerate waterlogging.

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Food

Figs are Not (Always) Vegan

Even if they are fruit, figs are often not vegan. The reason for this lies in the fertilization method. We explain what makes most figs problematic and what alternatives there are.

At first glance, the question of whether figs are vegan does not seem to arise: After all, they are the fruit of the fig tree and therefore a food of plant origin. If you interpret the term strictly, however, most figs are actually not suitable for a vegan diet: numerous wasps are usually injured when the fruit is cultivated. This is not a side effect, in fact it is a necessary condition. You can read here why this is so.

That’s why figs are not vegan

Most commercially available figs come from the so-called real fig or table fig (Ficus carica). The common fig only has female flowers and can therefore not reproduce itself – it needs the male pollen of another fig species, the goat fig. Only certain wasp species, which are summarized under the umbrella term “fig wasps”, can pollinate them.

The female fig wasps enter the flowers of the fig tree – because fig flowers are very narrow, they injure themselves and die after laying their eggs. So-called plant galls form from the blossoms of the fig, in which the young fig wasps grow.

The males no longer leave the galls: they die after mating with the females. The females later get out into the open and fly to the blossoms of the goat fig, but also those of the real fig. In this way they transport the required pollen and ensure the fertilization of both types of figs. However, the females lose their lives in the process – the cycle continues.

After they die, the dead fig wasps are decomposed inside: they are completely dissolved by an enzyme called ficin. The fruits that are harvested later do not contain any residue from the wasps. Strictly speaking, however, figs are not vegan. So the death of the wasps is the basic requirement for them to be able to grow up at all. Whether you want to eat figs as a vegan or not is ultimately an individual decision.

Are there vegan figs?

In addition to the common fig and the goat fig, there are also fig varieties that do not depend on the fig wasp. They can fertilize themselves and are vegan figs in that sense. They are also known under the umbrella term “Parthenocarpic figs”. Such varieties are particularly common in regions where fig wasps do not occur. In Germany too, under the right climatic conditions, fig trees can be grown that bear fruit.

If you eat the sweet fruit often but want to use vegan figs, you have the option of planting a fig tree in your own garden. You can get general information about this in our guide: Planting, caring for and propagating fig trees: Here’s how.

For more details, it is best to seek advice from a specialist garden retailer. There you can find out whether the climate in your region is favorable enough to grow figs – and you can also find out which self-pollinating species are suitable. In Germany, for example, the “Brown Turkey”, “Negronne” or “Valle Negra” varieties are popular.

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health

5 Common Arguments to Eat Meat – NOT

As a vegetarian or vegan, you are often confronted with arguments as to why a meatless diet is unhealthy, unnatural or even harmful to the environment. What is it about these statements? We have collected five of the most common arguments for meat and formulated counter-arguments.

Claims like “The rainforest is on fire for tofu!”, “Athletes need meat!” or “If God hadn’t wanted us to eat meat, he wouldn’t have made it so delicious!” probably every vegetarian has: in and vegan:in heard before. We can do no more than argue about God and his plans. But if statements are demonstrably false, you don’t have to let them rest. How to dispassionately counter some of the most common arguments for eating meat:

Humans are carnivores?

Humans are carnivores, vegan diet is unnatural.

Some of the most popular arguments against vegetarians and vegans revolve around how natural a meat-free diet is. Sentences like “People are carnivores, you can see that from their teeth” are also often used. But: Humans are definitely not pure meat eaters (= carnivores). After all, even the biggest meat lovers eat a piece of fruit or vegetable from time to time. This is also important, because unlike carnivores, humans cannot produce vitamin C themselves and have to get it from food.

Furthermore, if we were pure carnivores, we could swallow large chunks of meat almost without chewing. In carnivores, digestion begins in the stomach, while humans start digesting in the mouth. An enzyme in the saliva that breaks down starch helps us with this. And starch is not in meat, but in plants.

Admittedly, from a biological point of view, people are not herbivores (=herbivores) either, but omnivores (=omnivores). That is, our physical characteristics—including how our teeth are constructed and how they work—allow us to eat both animal and plant-based foods, depending on what is available.

Unlike our ancestors who hunted and gathered, today we have choices. We don’t starve if we don’t eat meat, thanks to farming and storage facilities. We also don’t have to put as much energy into foraging – and making up for that loss with food. We’re also getting older, which is why it’s important to look not only at short-term satiety, but also at the long-term health pros and cons of a diet.

If you want to be physically fit, you need meat?

People need animal proteins, especially athletes.

“If the [construction worker] only gets meat once a week and only salad, he falls off the scaffolding on the third day.” This quote from the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger made the rounds in the summer of 2020. The politician is right on one point: You cannot have a balanced diet from lettuce alone. Luckily, there are a lot of other plant-based foods, also to provide us with the proteins that athletes love.

The documentary “The Game Changers” shows that you can also achieve top performance with a purely plant-based diet using the example of various top athletes. The science journalist Bas Kast even comes to the conclusion in his book “The nutrition compass: The conclusion of all scientific studies on the subject of nutrition” (buy** at Thalia, bücher.de or Buch7, among others) that vegetable proteins are healthier than animal ones. Various studies provide evidence that meat consumption increases the risk of various lifestyle diseases.

The vitamin B12 thing

Vegans need to supplement vitamin B12, meat eaters don’t.

If you have to take vitamin B12 as a dietary supplement, it cannot be a sensible diet – many have certainly heard this argument as well. It’s true, vegans should supplement with vitamin B12. Some plant-based foods also contain vitamin B12, but in a form that, according to experts, cannot be used by the human body.

But where does the vitamin B12 in meat come from? For poultry and pork, the answer is: from dietary supplements. Because just like in humans, vitamin B12 is formed in the large intestine of animals, but they excrete it without using it.

Ruminants, on the other hand, can use the vitamin B12 they produce in their own bodies. To do this, they must be sufficiently supplied with the trace element cobalt. In industrial agriculture, cows often lack this requirement, which is why they are often dependent on nutritional supplements.

On this basis, it is entirely justified to ask the question whether one cannot simply take vitamin B12 oneself in the form of food supplements and skip the detour via the animals.

Vegans eat industrial goo?

Meat substitutes are unnatural chemical food.

Vegan food consists of flavor enhancers, artificial flavors and other additives? This is true for some plant foods, as it is for many processed animal products. And as with an omnivorous diet, such products should be the exception rather than the rule when it comes to eating healthily.

Meat substitutes make it easier for many people to switch to a plant-based diet. They are practical if you want to prepare a vegan alternative to a meat dish without much effort. In the long run, however, many health-conscious vegans refrain from replacing meat, sausage and cheese 1:1 with vegan substitutes. Instead, there are, for example, Bolognese made from lentils, vegetable skewers when grilling and hummus on bread. Tofu is also available in its natural state, and even with processed meat substitutes, the list of ingredients is not always as long and cryptic.

Even if vegans treat themselves to a few vegan sausages at a barbecue party (if they are possible again): Before calling them industrial goo, one should consider whether it is really being vegan that decides how natural or unnatural one eats. Didn’t you just eat a bratwurst with a similarly long list of ingredients, plus ready-made barbecue sauces, chips and cola? If so, then maybe it’s best to keep your mouth shut.

Does the rainforest burn for tofu?

Vegan diet harms the environment.

If we all stop eating meat, where are we supposed to grow all the vegetables to keep us full? Some people are probably asking this question. If rainforests are already being cut down to plant soy, wouldn’t the problem get worse with a switch to a plant-based diet?

Many who ask these questions forget that pigs, cattle and chickens also have to eat. Very few of these animals graze on green mountain meadows that are unsuitable for growing food. Instead, large areas of arable land are required for the cultivation of animal feed. This means that the area required for animal food is higher than for plant food. When animal husbandry decreases, areas are freed up on which we can grow food for human consumption or on which we can reforest.

The increasing hunger for cheap meat has led to forests being cut down in order to grow animal feed in huge monocultures. Depending on the source, 75 to 85 percent of the soy harvested worldwide is fed to animals. So much for the claim that vegetarians and vegans are destroying the rainforest. Incidentally, the soy for meat and milk substitutes often comes from Europe.

After years of eating meat and other animal products, it can be difficult to reduce or even stop eating them altogether. But hiding behind false arguments no longer counts as an excuse.

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Cooking Tips

Eating Beans Raw: Why It’s Not a Good Idea

Eating beans raw is not a good idea, although many other vegetables are fine to eat raw. Uncooked, legumes contain phasin, which has many undesirable side effects.

That’s why you shouldn’t eat beans raw

Raw fruit or vegetable sticks are considered a healthy snack. Unlike carrots or cucumbers, however, it is better not to use raw beans. It is also not advisable to try a piece of uncooked bean when preparing it.

This is because raw beans contain phasin, according to the Bavarian consumer advice center. This is a mixture of lectins, a toxic protein compound. It consists of the amino acids glutamic acid, aspartic acid, serine, alanine, tyrosine, lysine and arginine. Phasin is found in raw vegetables, especially kidney beans and other legumes such as red and white kidney beans.

Phasin is toxic to humans because it causes red blood cells to stick together. Above a certain dose, the consumption of green beans leads to vomiting, diarrhea, stomach and intestinal problems or headaches. According to the Bavarian consumer center, five to six beans are enough for children to show symptoms. With red kidney beans, adults can experience side effects after eating four to five seeds, while with kidney beans it has to be a good handful. Symptoms of poisoning usually appear two to three hours after consumption.

In the worst case, fatal poisoning is also possible. However, this requires a very large amount of beans.

You should keep this in mind when eating beans

So that you can enjoy your beans without side effects, we have a few tips for you below:

Boil the beans for at least 10 minutes. According to the Bavarian consumer advice center, the phasin is destroyed and you run no risk of poisoning yourself.
Discard the bean water after soaking, as it contains phasin. You can reuse the cooking water: Use bean water: 5 surprising ways.
Be careful with sprouting beans or legumes. Sprouting reduces the phasin content, but you should still blanch or boil them briefly. Due to the lower phasin content, blanching would also suffice here.
Keep small children away from uncooked beans. They are more prone to side effects due to their light weight and don’t yet know that uncooked beans are not good for them.

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Preparing Asparagus Properly is Not an Art!

Asparagus is often said to have a certain complexity. Cooking asparagus properly is not difficult at all.

Tips for buying asparagus

The sticks must be bright and firm, the tips should be closed. If you rub two spears of asparagus together, they should squeak with freshness!

The best thing to do is to start thinking about it when you go shopping: local asparagus will be available from mid-April. Freshly cut, without long transport routes, asparagus simply tastes best. Check interfaces when shopping: They must not be dry or even moldy and juice should come out when you squeeze them. The sticks must be bright and firm, the tips should be closed. If you rub two spears of asparagus together, they should squeak with freshness!

Store asparagus properly

If you don’t want to overcook your freshly bought stick vegetables right away, you can wrap them in a cloth (e.g. tea towel) moistened with lemon water and keep them in the vegetable compartment of your refrigerator for a few days (max. 3). If you want to freeze asparagus, you should prepare it ready to cook beforehand, i.e. cut off any woody ends and peel the rest. It is not necessary to blanch asparagus before freezing. Do not thaw the frozen asparagus before preparation, but place it directly in the boiling water.

Peel the asparagus properly

Before preparation, wash the asparagus briefly, pat dry, and peel with a vegetable or asparagus peeler. To do this, place the asparagus on your forearm and hold it with all your fingers except your little finger. Then use an asparagus peeler to peel from the bottom of the tip to the end of the stalk; meanwhile, turn the asparagus with your fingers. Green asparagus does not have to be peeled that far, the lower third is usually enough. With white asparagus, it pays to peel a little more generously, preferably starting under the head. Don’t throw away the asparagus shells! You can boil them for an aromatic asparagus broth that can be used to infuse creamy soups and sauces.

More about asparagus

Asparagus (lat. Asparagus Officinalis) belongs to the lily family. The perennial shrub grows to a height of about 1 m and has a woody rootstock. The asparagus buds begin to sprout at the top of the root. In spring from a soil temperature of 15 °C, the rhizome puts out many finger-thick sprouts that are white in color and turn green as soon as they come out into the open.

White and variegated asparagus

White asparagus has a typically fine asparagus aroma, is very tender, and has fewer bitter substances than other asparagus. The rungs are protected from the sunlight by mounds of earth to keep them white. White asparagus is cut 20 to 25 cm below the ground.

Green asparagus is cultivated without ridges, is tender and fine, but has a more intense taste. It is becoming increasingly popular and cultivated more and more often. Today, the proportion of green asparagus is over ten percent.

Purple asparagus contains more anthocyanins, which turns it purple. It originally comes from Italy and therefore needs more sun and warmth. Occasionally you can buy the slightly sweeter purple asparagus in Austria, more towards the end of the season.

That’s why you should eat asparagus

Asparagus consists of 90% water, the rest is valuable vitamins, minerals such as potassium, and hardly any calories (20 kcal per 100 g). It also scores vitamins A, C, and folic acid.

It’s a good thing that asparagus grows in spring, because it stimulates the metabolism, supports the liver and kidneys, and has a draining effect. However, people with a tendency to have kidney stones and high blood uric acid levels should be more careful with asparagus. Asparagus gets its typical taste from aspartic acid, which is important for the urea cycle and stimulates kidney function. After eating asparagus, the urine gets a peculiar smell.

Harvesting asparagus is manual work!

From mid-April to at the latest on St. John’s Day on June 24th, asparagus is harvested, as the harvest of the spear is known in technical jargon. Incidentally, asparagus can only be harvested by hand!

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Food

Exotic Fruits: Not Only the Climate Balance is Problematic

Exotic fruits are part of the standard range of every supermarket. Here’s why you should avoid the sweet tropical fruits.

You can buy pineapple, mango and Co. at relatively low prices in almost every German supermarket and discounter. A central ecological problem of the exotic fruits is obvious: the plants come from tropical areas. Accordingly, the fruits are grown in distant countries and imported to Germany. They have to cover long transport routes and consequently have a bad ecological balance.

The CO2 emissions caused by transport get into the atmosphere and continue to drive global warming there. But the contribution to the climate crisis is not the only downside of tropical fruits.

Exotic fruits: list

The following types of fruit are among the best-known tropical fruits that you will find in German supermarkets:

Acai
acerola
pineapple
avocado
bananas
dates
figs
goji berries
pomegranate
guava
jackfruit
persimmon
prickly pear
star fruit / carambola
kiwi
lychee
mango
mangosteen
papaya
Passion Fruit / Maracuja
Pitaya / dragon fruit
Tamarillo / Tree Tomato
tamarind

Exotic fruits: monocultures and pesticides

Farmers grow many exotic fruits in monocultures. This not only damages the structure of the soil, but also makes the plants more susceptible to pests. Farmers are therefore increasingly relying on chemical-synthetic pesticides. Many of these pesticides are suspected of being carcinogenic. Occupational health and safety measures are often neglected.

Machines sometimes still spray the environmental toxins when workers are still in the field. In doing so, you regularly come into direct contact with the harmful substance. And even without direct skin contact, there can be health consequences: according to Deutschland Funk Kultur, harmful pesticides are regularly sprayed in large quantities on pineapple plantations in Cartagena, a port city in Costa Rica. As a result, students in a school near the plantations regularly complained of headaches, skin rashes, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

Scientists confirmed that the pesticides were not only found on the plantation itself, but also in dust, hair from livestock and human saliva, among other things, and could be detected.

Rainstorms also ensure that pesticides are flushed from the plantations into water bodies. There they harm animals and plants and ultimately contaminate the groundwater. In communities around the plantations, it is therefore extremely dangerous to health to drink water from the tap.

It is not uncommon for rainforest areas to be cleared for plantations or sensitive ecosystems to be invaded. This promotes the extinction of species, as many animal and plant species lose their habitat.

Tropical fruits: working conditions on plantations

In addition to a lack of occupational safety, there are other labor and human rights violations on tropical fruit plantations. According to an Oxfam report reporting on the cultivation of bananas and pineapples in Ecuador and Costa Rica,…

Employers deliberately do not inform their workers about their rights.
some employees do not receive a copy of their employment contract.
workers have to work up to twelve hours at a time on the plantation to receive the daily minimum wage, which actually applies to an eight-hour day.
pregnancy is often a reason for dismissal without notice.
Employees usually have no social security.
immigrants who do not yet have their own apartment and work in the fields have to live together in a very small space.
Employers do not offer medical care in the event of pesticide poisoning or work-related accidents.

Exotic fruits at cheap prices

Precarious working conditions, environmental toxins, deforestation and long transport routes are behind the relatively inexpensive exotic fruits in European supermarkets. Or in short: exploited people and an exploited nature.

According to Oxfam, German supermarkets should take responsibility for these abuses. After all, it is the German corporations that want to keep lowering the price from suppliers in order to be able to score points with customers with cheap prices. Farmers in the country of origin have to bow to this aggressive price policy.

You can do that!

In order not to support the abuses surrounding the cultivation of exotic fruits, you as a consumer can use:in your purchasing power:

It is best if you eat tropical fruits in moderation. For a good ecological balance, you should prefer regional and seasonal fruit varieties. You can find out which fruit is available when from German cultivation in our seasonal calendar.
Pay attention to organic certified goods when buying! In this way you can be sure that farmers have avoided chemical-synthetic pesticides during cultivation. Seals with particularly strict requirements are Demeter and Naturland.
When buying, also look for trustworthy seals that guarantee compliance with ecological and social standards. You should not only pay attention to the organic, but also to the Fairtrade seal.
Fruits with the Rainforest Alliance seal are also subject to far-reaching social and ecological requirements. Although the seal with the green frog cannot quite keep up with the strict Fairtrade seal or the EU organic seal, it still stands for high social and ecological standards.

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Buy Avocado or Not?

The avocado is literally on everyone’s lips, especially among diet-conscious people and vegetarians. But how healthy is she really? Can you still buy them when they are also being criticized as a problem for the environment?

The fruit of the avocado tree – yes, it’s fruit, more precisely: it’s berries! – came to Europe with the Spanish conquistadors from the tropical regions of Central America. The trees, which can grow up to twenty meters tall, now thrive in many tropical and subtropical countries and it is expected that China will soon increase its cultivation.

Avocado: What varieties are there?

To put it simply, avocados come in three different types that differ in shape and fat content: the Mexican (M), the Guatemalan (G), and the West Indian (W). Of the more than 400 varieties (often also crosses between two types), only a few are available from us.

Our local grocers most frequently stock the “Fuerte” (a cross between G and M) and “Hass” (G) varieties.

A Fuerte is pear-shaped with a smooth, dark olive green skin,
the Hass is rather ovoid to round with a rough, green skin that turns black when the fruit is ripe.
The varieties differ in taste: while the yellowish flesh of the Hass tastes more nutty, the greenish flesh of the Fuerte has a mild, creamy taste.

Fatty Superfood: Is the Butterfruit Avocado Healthy?

Fuerte and Hass have in common the high fat content of around 15 grams of fat per 100 grams. This makes the green gold a calorie bomb: 100 g of avocado contain around 160 kilocalories (FDDB), a “portion” (usually meaning half an average avocado with 250 grams ) with its 125 grams comes to 200 kilocalories (kcal).

But: The fats in avocados are mostly healthy, unsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3 fatty acids. They can even help you lose weight by boosting your metabolism.

In addition to the valuable unsaturated fatty acids, avocados also have a healthy high content of B vitamins, vitamin A and vitamin E as well as minerals such as potassium and magnesium. They are rich in essential amino acids that our body needs, for example, to build muscle or reduce stress.

All in all, the avocado is a healthy, plant-based source of fat and protein (but only 2g protein per 100g), and not just for vegans. Something else makes them healthy despite their fat content: the stone fruit contains few carbohydrates (3g/100g). This means that the superfood is also suitable for a low-carb diet and reduces possible ravenous hunger attacks thanks to the slowly digestible fats.

Avocado & Environment: Transportation, Water, and Other Issues

In the industrialized countries, consumption of the green berry is booming. But it is increasingly controversial – because it has more and more effects on the environment.

The problems of the avocado
Long transport routes.
The majority of the avocados available in Germany come from Peru, Chile, Mexico and also from South Africa. So they have very long transport routes behind them, and that always means high CO2 emissions. The negative thing is that the fruit spends the long transport routes in refrigerated containers, otherwise you couldn’t offer them in this country.
Export vs. local production.
Large companies produce for international trade and export their avocados, while small farmers mainly sell their products regionally. The fewer small farmers there are, the less it is possible to ensure that the local population is adequately supplied. The players in the agricultural industry have little interest in small sales markets such as the local population. Instead, they are geared to the demand of the international markets they serve.
Social tensions.
In Mexico – one of the largest avocado producers – 80 percent of the forests belong to village communities. However, since arable land is becoming scarce, illegal deforestation is increasing. The traditional communal management of the land is also becoming more difficult as more land is sold to influential agricultural companies. In this way, the social fabric becomes increasingly unbalanced.
Crime.
The avocado is a valuable commodity in countries like Mexico – so organized crime is now involved there as well. Among other things, the state of Michoacán became known, in which protection money is extorted from the farmers and they have to organize themselves with vigilante groups. A star chef even said that they are the blood diamonds of Mexico.
deforestation.
Especially in Mexico, which produces by far the most avocados (FAO), environmental organizations complain about the illegal deforestation to make room for new cultivation areas. Indigenous peoples in particular suffer from this (NZZ).
water consumption.
An avocado tree needs around 50 liters of water per day, which is already scarce in the rather hot, dry growing areas. It is usually taken from groundwater or rivers that are diverted for this purpose. It is estimated that 1,000 to 2,000 liters of water are required for one kilo of the greasy fruit (source: VZ). That is 5 to 10 bathtubs of water (100 to 200l each) for about 4 fruits.
Drinking water.
Cultivation regions suffer from the lack of water caused by industrial agriculture. The private drinking water supply is also becoming increasingly difficult and sufficient drinking water can no longer be made available for households in the cultivation regions. In some regions of Chile, the entire population is therefore supplied with drinking water via tankers.
Conventional cultivation.
Sustainability plays a minor role in the main growing areas, the fruit is mostly grown conventionally and in monocultures and also artificially pollinated (see avocados vegan?). The mineral fertilizers used in conventional agriculture pollute the environment, especially soil and groundwater (UBA) and thus also drinking water. So what we eat here as healthy is unhealthy for everyone elsewhere.
Bad working conditions.
The demand for the “green gold” is high – in order to meet it, the avocado producers try to grow as many avocados as efficiently as possible. This is at the expense of the working conditions: the pay is poor and the working days are long and physically demanding. To make matters worse, child labor is not uncommon in production – as with many jobs in the agricultural industry.
pollutants.
In many cases, the water contains many pollutants due to self-drilled wells and poor filtration. This puts a strain on avocados, which actually don’t need any pesticides themselves. In some cases, however, benzalkonium chloride is subsequently applied as a disinfectant – residues remain in the fruit.

An ecological advantage should also be mentioned: the plant is relatively undemanding as far as the soil is concerned, and pesticides are usually not necessary (during cultivation; poisons are used for transport and no savings were made in the past either).

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