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Buckwheat honey is a special honey: it is dark brown in color, has a strong aroma and an atypical taste. On this page you can find out what else you should know about buckwheat honey.

Buckwheat honey is special in many ways. While the common types of honey are golden in color, buckwheat honey is dark to almost black in color, similar to forest honey. The taste also makes it a rarity among the many different types of honey: In contrast to most other honeys, buckwheat honey has a very strong, aromatic and only slightly sweet taste. It is rounded off by an intense cereal aroma.

Because of the unusual taste, not everyone likes buckwheat honey. This is also because we have become very accustomed to the sweet taste of light honey. However, many traditional bakeries appreciate the dark color and intense aroma of the extraordinary honey and use it for gingerbread and other Christmas cookies.

Buckwheat honey: the bees fly on it

The buckwheat honey has a light cereal aroma because the honey is obtained from the dark nectar of flowering buckwheat plants. However, buckwheat is only a grain in name. In fact, buckwheat is not a grain, but a knotweed plant.

The angular buckwheat seeds are considered a pseudo-grain because, like other grains, they can be processed into flour or pasta such as noodles and have a grain-like taste. In contrast to wheat and the like, buckwheat is gluten-free.

The pink blooming buckwheat fields magically attract bees. Since bees really like buckwheat blossoms and therefore fly to them intensively, pure honey can be produced from the collected nectar.

Buckwheat honey – the honey with the health benefit

Honey consists largely of glucose and fructose, but also contains smaller amounts

trace elements,
minerals,
vitamins,
Amino acids,
antibacterial and antioxidant agents
Honey has long been considered a healthy home remedy for various ailments, especially colds and coughs. The phenols in honey have a disinfecting and antiseptic effect.

Researchers from the USA have found in a study that dark honey has a higher amount of antioxidants. Thus, buckwheat honey, with its very dark color, is also one of the healthier types of honey.

This was confirmed in another small study in which 105 children with a cold were divided into three groups. One group received buckwheat honey to treat cold symptoms, the second a conventional cough syrup and the third group no medicine at all. It has been proven that buckwheat honey can effectively alleviate night coughing fits, which allows children to sleep better.

With more than 100,000 varieties of rice worldwide, it’s easy to lose track. What are the differences and where do the different varieties come from? And what about the life cycle assessment of rice?

Types of rice: This is how they are roughly differentiated

Rice is the basic food source for more than half of the world’s population. The grain with the Latin generic name “Oryza” has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years. So it is hardly surprising that countless different varieties exist today.

Roughly two or three main groups are distinguished:
Long Grain Rice: Long, narrow grains of rice that do not stick after cooking.
Short Grain Rice: Shorter, thicker grains that result in very sticky rice.
Medium grain rice can be mentioned as a third possible subspecies. In terms of the length of the rice grains, this lies between long-grain and short-grain rice.
Rice can also be classified according to the degree of processing:

Brown rice (also brown rice or whole grain rice): Apart from removing the husk, the rice was not processed further here. It therefore contains significantly more vitamins, fiber and trace elements than conventional rice. Brown rice is the healthiest option.
White Rice: Here the silver skin has been removed and the grains polished. Although the rice has a longer shelf life, most of the important nutrients are lost.
Parboiled rice: In the parboiling process, the nutrients are pressed from the silver skin into the interior of the rice grains. Some of the vitamins are retained even after polishing; However, the rice no longer has any fiber.

Rice-growing regions: where does our rice come from?

Rice plants grow in tropical and subtropical areas. Above all Southeast Asian countries like China, India or Indonesia are important rice suppliers. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 90 percent of the world’s rice harvest comes from the Asia-Pacific region.

But rice is also grown today in Europe, Australia and parts of North and South America. For example, the Arborio rice used for risotto comes from Italy, but there are also cultivation areas in Portugal, France and Spain.

The most important types of rice at a glance

wild rice
Strictly speaking, wild rice, with its typically dark grains, does not belong to the rice genus, but to the “water rice” genus. The grains of the sweet grasses contain many valuable nutrients and are grown in the USA.
long grain rice
Basmati rice is an aromatic long grain rice and is grown in the Himalayan region. It is mainly used in oriental cuisine.
Thanks to its intense aroma, jasmine rice is also called “fragrant rice”. The slightly sticky long grain rice comes from Thailand, but is also grown in Vietnam and Italy.
Patna is a grainy and firm long grain rice from India. The grains remain very al dente after cooking.
Medium and short grain rice
Risotto rice combines various medium-grain varieties with a high percentage of starch, which gives the dish its typical creamy consistency. Typical varieties are Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone, all grown in Italy.
Japanese rice (or rice pudding) is a very sticky short-grain rice from Japan. There it is also used for hearty dishes. The grains are particularly soft, short and rounded.
Bomba rice is a Spanish short-grain rice with a slightly firmer and grainier consistency due to the lower starch content. It is typically used for paella.
Sushi rice is a particularly sticky rice from Japan with a high starch content. There are several varieties that are considered sushi rice.
Mochi rice is an extremely sticky rice from Japan that is mainly used to prepare desserts (e.g. rice cakes). Today, mochi rice is also grown in the United States.
Brown brown rice grows in Southeast Asia and includes different varieties. It is richer in nutrients and more resilient to cultivation than conventional rice, but also more expensive.
Black brown rice is wholegrain rice with a nutty taste. Originally from China, it is now also cultivated in Europe (Italy and France).

Red onions are not just a feast for the eyes. Their sweetish, slightly pungent taste distinguishes them from normal onions. They also contain many healthy ingredients.

Red onions – why are they red?

Many know the red skin of the onions not only from the kitchen but also from microscopy in biology classes. The red color ensures that individual components of the cell are easier to recognize. But what makes the onion red?

Red onions get their beautiful color from the anthocyanins they contain. These substances can be found in many so-called superfoods.

These substances not only turn the onion red, but also protect your cells from damage. Anthocyanins are antioxidants. Antioxidants bind free radicals, i.e. harmful oxygen compounds that can promote cancer, among other things. 100 grams of fresh red onions contain up to 250 milligrams of anthocyanins, just like black currants.

Red onions not only contain more anthocyanins than their lighter relatives: their taste is usually described as sweeter. So they taste comparatively mild.

Red onions – season, storage and origin

Onions are harvested from summer to early fall. Since they can be stored very well, they are in season all year round. Check out the Utopia Seasonal Calendar for more information.

When onions sprout and form green shoots, they are still edible. According to the Bavarian consumer advice center, this applies to both the onion itself and the shoots. However, the bulbs themselves lose their firmness as the shoot grows. Therefore, consume germinating onions as soon as possible.

According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, red onions have a shorter shelf life than light-colored onions. It is best to store them in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.

Prepare and enjoy the red onions

Use the healthy red onions to flavor your dishes or to conjure up special delicacies:
Onion chutney or onion jam give red onions a nice flavor. The diverse dips go well with cheese or savory pastries.
The red onions also provide a pleasant, mild spiciness raw in the dressing or in the herb quark.
You can also caramelize red onions. They look particularly beautiful and provide a splash of color on the plate.

Oat bran is a true local superfood. Here you can find out how to use oat bran and what makes it so healthy.

What is oat bran?

We are all familiar with oatmeal, for example as a popular ingredient for muesli or porridge. Whole oat grains are industrially processed for the flakes, i.e. first heat-treated and then rolled.

Oat bran is a little different: it doesn’t come from the whole grain, but from the outer layers of the endosperm and from the germ. Oat bran looks more like coarsely ground flour and tastes nuttier than oatmeal.

Incidentally, oat bran should not be confused with husks: the latter is a by-product that occurs when oats are processed into straw, oat groats or oat flour.

Oat bran does not consist of the whole grain, but “only” the outer layers and the germ. But it is precisely in these parts that most of the vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber in an oat grain are found. So oat bran contains the best of oats in high concentration.

Oat bran: Good for digestion and cholesterol levels

There is about 15 grams of fiber for every 100 grams of oat bran. Thus, oat bran contains 50 percent more fiber than oatmeal. Fiber is essential for a healthy diet. On the one hand there is insoluble dietary fiber, i.e. indigestible fillers and fibers. These have a satiating effect, keep blood sugar low after a meal and ensure good digestion. Oat bran thus helps you to avoid food cravings.

On the other hand, oat bran contains the soluble fiber beta-glucan. Studies have found that this soluble fiber can have a positive effect on cholesterol levels by lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol. Beta-glucan combines with the cholesterol-containing bile in the body, causing your body to excrete more LDL cholesterol.

Oat bran as a supplier of micronutrients

Oat bran contains a particularly large number of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. So cover 100 grams of oat bran

73% of the daily requirement of thiamine (vitamin B1): Thiamine is important for psychological well-being.
12% of the daily requirement of riboflavin (vitamin B2): Riboflavin plays an important role in metabolic processes and energy production, as well as for skin, hair and nails.
12% of the daily requirement of folic acid: Folic acid is important for metabolic processes, especially for blood cell formation.
14% of the daily requirement of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5): Vitamin B5 drives away fatigue and ensures mental performance.
55% of the daily requirement of magnesium: Magnesium strengthens the bones, prevents headaches and calms the nerves.
28% of the daily iron requirement: Iron is a vital trace element that is essential for transporting oxygen in the blood and for generating energy.
19% of the daily zinc requirement: Zinc plays an important role in many metabolic reactions, e.g. related to growth or the immune system.
265% of the daily requirement of manganese: Manganese is a component of important enzymes in the body and is also involved in insulin production, for example.
61% of the daily requirement of selenium: selenium increases the immune system and has an antioxidant effect.

Use of oat bran

Oat bran is a valuable addition in the diet for anyone who

want to have a positive effect on cholesterol levels
who wish to maintain cardiovascular health
want to stimulate intestinal activity
watch your blood sugar
want to stay full for a long time after a meal
basically want to do something good for their body with vitamins, minerals and co.
Oat bran is very easy to integrate into the daily menu. You can use them as an ingredient, for example

in porridges and mueslis
in bread and other pastries (both sweet and savory)
in smoothies and yoghurt/quark
for patties or vegetable pancakes
If you add a proportion of oat bran to your muesli or bread, these foods are particularly high in protein, vitamins and minerals. They also keep you full for longer because they are richer in fiber.

Important: Always make sure you drink enough water. Oat bran and wheat bran increase their volume many times over in the stomach. This also increases the volume of the stool and stimulates intestinal activity. But if you don’t drink enough liquid, you will achieve the opposite: the oat bran cannot swell completely and an intestinal obstruction can occur.

Comb honey is honey in its most natural form: the beekeeper does not process it after harvesting. Comb honey has a particularly intense taste due to the pollen it contains. When buying, it is worth taking a closer look at the quality.

Comb honey is honey that is harvested, sold and consumed in the comb. The honeycomb is made of wax that bees produce in the hive. They sweat it out of the wax gland in their abdomen and shape it with their mouthparts until the hexagonal combs are formed. The bee colony incubates part of the honeycomb. The other part serves as a honey store: the bees fill it with pollen and nectar. When the honey is ripe, they seal the honeycomb with wax. The honeycomb is then “capped”.

Comb honey: Valuable natural product

Comb honey is a purely natural product. The bees store it as a reserve for the bee colony and only close the honeycomb when the honey is really ripe.

During the harvest, the beekeeper removes the closed combs and honey from the beehive and packs them without opening the combs. All the substances that the bees store in the comb remain in the honeycomb. These substances include:
flower nectar
pollen
honey bread
Together they ensure an extremely fine taste profile and also contain a valuable mixture of nutrients and vitamins. In order to protect their honey supply from pests and diseases, the bees also store propolis in the honeycomb. The natural composition of these substances makes comb honey a high-quality and healthy food.

Comb honey: differences to conventional honey

Beekeepers harvest conventional honey before it is ripe – usually when 30 to 50 percent of the combs are covered. It is then thrown out of the honeycomb, possibly filtered and bottled.

As a result, the finished honey contains fewer nutrients than comb honey. By the time centrifuged honey ends up in the supermarket, it is often mixed with other types of honey or even diluted with sugar syrup.

This cannot happen with comb honey: the comb stays tightly closed until you open it at home. Since the bees sealed it themselves, comb honey is also guaranteed to be ripe.

Comb honey from the beekeeper

Comb honey is easy to harvest: once the comb is closed, the beekeeper takes it out of the hive and packs it. He no longer has to centrifuge or filter the honey afterwards. Although comb honey is easier to harvest, it often yields less for the beekeeper. There are several reasons for this:
The beekeeper waits until the honey is ripe before harvesting. For extracting honey he can already use combs that are only partially covered. So he can harvest more honey more often.
The removed combs are missing in the hive. The bees first have to build new walls before they can produce and store honey again. With conventional honey, the beekeeper usually puts the ejected honeycomb back into the hive. This allows the bees to produce fresh honey directly.
With comb honey, the beekeeper has to wait longer overall before he can harvest. There are also special costs:
Only a few beekeepers let their bees build the hive themselves. A wildly built beehive can become quite confusing. To keep the beehive tidy, the beekeepers build beeswax foundation into the hive. The walls already contain honeycombs in the typical form. The bees can use them directly and fill them with honey. Since the beekeeper has to buy new foundation regularly, additional costs are incurred.
So that the beekeeper can better harvest and pack the comb honey, he often also provides the beehive with special wooden frames. The beekeeper can take the combs out of the frame directly and pack them up for sale. The wooden frames are usually more expensive than a regular honey jar.
For these reasons, comb honey is usually sold at a higher price than conventional centrifugal honey.

Eat and enjoy comb honey

You can eat good quality honeycomb with the honeycomb without hesitation. The stored pollen make it a special taste experience. Like conventional honey, it tastes different depending on the type of honey.

You can enjoy comb honey in several ways:
You can chew the honeycomb so that the taste can fully develop. It’s best to spit them out afterwards. While honeycomb is not harmful to your health, it can cause stomach pain if you eat large amounts of it.
When you chew out the comb, wax can stick to your teeth. To avoid this, you can instead crush the honeycomb on your tongue and suck it like candy.
You can also cut the combs into small pieces and enjoy them with bread or in yoghurt. But be careful: If you put the comb honey in hot food or drinks, the wax will become liquid.
Store your comb honey in a cool, dry place. Like conventional honey, it can then be opened for at least two years.

Triticale is a cross between wheat and rye. It combines the positive properties of the grain variety and is suitable for soil-friendly agriculture.

What is triticale?

Triticale is a type of grain and belongs to the grass family. It is a cross between female wheat and male rye. The name is derived from the Latin names of the two types of grain: Triticum aestivum L (wheat) and Secale cereale L. (rye) become triticale.

By crossing the two types of grain, triticale combines the positive properties of wheat and rye. In practice, there are over 30 different varieties. The characteristics vary depending on the variety: some varieties are more like wheat, others more like rye. This makes it difficult to spot triticale at first glance.

Use of triticale

In Germany, triticale grows primarily as fodder for animals. More than half of the harvest is used as feed grain. Since the grain is very rich in protein, it is a good “concentrated feed”.

Along with other grains, triticale is also baked into baked goods. However, pure triticale flour is less suitable for baking. The grain contains many amylase enzymes, which cause the flour to become heavily gelatinized. To prevent this, the flour is mixed with other types of flour for baking. In a small amount, triticale is a good binder.

Bioenergy is produced from a small proportion of triticale, for example in biogas plants. Since triticale contains a lot of starch, it can also be used to produce bioethanol.

Benefits of triticale

Triticale combines the positive properties of the two types of grain, wheat and rye:
Wheat provides high yields and has good baking properties
Rye has low demands on soil and climate
As a result, triticale delivers good harvests even in poor locations. On very nutrient-poor soils, however, rye yields higher yields – on good soils, on the other hand, wheat. Triticale therefore grows mainly in the low mountain ranges. In this climate, its characteristics bring the best yields.

Triticale is also suitable for soil-friendly agriculture. A study by the University of Göttingen has shown that triticale yields a higher yield when the soil is not ploughed. This reduces the risk of agricultural soil eroding or silting up. In addition, the soil life is not destroyed and the soil remains fertile in the long term.

Rapeseed honey is a particularly mild and creamy type of honey that can often be bought locally. Find out here what distinguishes rapeseed honey and what you should look out for with blossom honey.

Lime blossom honey, acacia honey or chestnut honey: there are many different types of honey. A variety that is particularly common in this country is rapeseed honey. Because of its mild taste, it is particularly popular with children.

Rapeseed honey: This distinguishes the honey variety

Rapeseed honey is one of the blossom honeys: it is obtained from the nectar of rapeseed blossoms. Since rapeseed is cultivated on a large scale, rapeseed honey is also very common in this country. The fact that it is so popular is partly due to its particularly sweet taste.

Peculiarities of rapeseed honey:
Taste: mild, sweet aroma with a slight smell of cabbage
Colour: light beige to white
Consistency: fine creamy, crystallizes particularly quickly
Ingredients: about 39 percent fructose, 41 percent glucose (source)
Since rapeseed honey contains a particularly large amount of glucose, this type of honey crystallizes faster than almost any other – then the honey becomes solid and tough. All you have to do is stir the honey vigorously so that it regains its creamy consistency.

Use: Since rapeseed honey does not have a strong taste of its own, you can use it in many ways – for example to sweeten desserts such as cakes.

Health: With its high glucose content, rapeseed honey supplies the body with energy particularly quickly. On the other hand, it is one of the types of honey that has the least antioxidant effect – unlike buckwheat honey or honeydew honey: According to a study, these are richer in antioxidants and therefore protect better against free radicals.

This is how rapeseed honey is obtained

Rapeseed honey is extracted from the nectar of the rapeseed blossoms by the bees. For this purpose, the migrant beekeeper usually places his bee colonies on a pure rapeseed field, which is common in Germany – especially since rapeseed has also been increasingly cultivated for the production of biofuel. It is therefore relatively easy for the beekeeper to

The oilseed rape plant blooms from April to June, depending on the weather and climate. The flowers are particularly rich in nectar

Chestnut honey is touted as a miracle cure in naturopathy and is popular with gourmets because of its tart taste. What the noble honey is all about.

What is special about chestnut honey?

Chestnut honey is a very special delicacy and significantly more expensive than conventional honey. This is because chestnut honey can only be produced to a limited extent.

For chestnut honey, bees have to collect the nectar of the chestnut tree during its brief flowering period from June to July. After its heyday, the chestnut tree begins to develop the sweet chestnut, also known as chestnut.

Pure chestnut honey has a very intense taste and can also taste bitter. Beekeepers mitigate the bitter taste by mixing pure chestnut honey with another type of honey. Robinia honey in particular is popular with beekeepers because it is cheap and tastes mild. If a product is officially called chestnut honey, the honey must consist of at least 90 percent nectar from chestnut trees.

The Health Benefits of Chestnut Honey

Like other types of honey, chestnut honey consists largely of sugar, which is supplemented by a small proportion of enzymes, acids, vitamins and minerals. About 75 percent of the sugar contained in honey consists of the two simple sugars glucose and fructose. Chestnut honey is characterized by a particularly high fructose content, which is why it has a liquid consistency and crystallizes very slowly.

Chestnut honey is repeatedly touted by manufacturers as a natural remedy. Various scientific studies have shown that honey can have a health-promoting effect. So it was found that honey:
has an antioxidant effect and thus protects the body from free radicals and fights inflammation.
can delay the development of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
has a probiotic and antibacterial effect and thus protects the body from harmful germs.
Chestnut honey is one of the healthiest types of honey as it is very high in antioxidants and minerals. In addition, chestnut honey contains a high proportion of monoamine oxidase inhibitors. These are used as antidepressants by psychologists and psychiatrists to treat depression, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. Chestnut honey can actually trigger feelings of happiness in you.

Chestnut honey is a sugar and should therefore only be consumed in moderation

With all the health benefits of chestnut honey, you should always keep in mind that honey is a sugar. (It contains up to 85 different types of sugar.) The World Health Organization recommends that you consume no more than six teaspoons of pure sugar per day.

If you consume too much sugar, the risk of developing:
overweight and obesity
diabetes
cardiovascular diseases
Therefore, always consume honey in moderation. Sweetening the tea or yoghurt with a little chestnut honey or other honey is healthier than using white sugar or sweetener.

Gellan is a gelling agent that is mostly used in the food industry to gel jam. It is vegan and considered harmless to health.

What is gellan?

Gellan is a plant-based polysaccharide primarily used in the food industry. There gellan is used as a food additive E418 as a gelling, thickening and stabilizing agent. Gellan has properties similar to pectin and is therefore often used as a gelling agent for jams and marmalades. It is also often used as a stabilizer for soy milk to keep it from creaming.

According to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), gellan is considered safe for humans because it cannot be used by our body as roughage. Since fiber stimulates digestion, high consumption of gellan can have a laxative effect.

Gellan is produced biotechnologically using Pseudomonas bacteria. These form gellan by themselves in the course of their metabolism. In order to isolate the gellan from the bacterial solution, it is heated and then the gellan is precipitated with isopropyl alcohol.

Where else is gellan used?

Gel formers are not only interesting for the food industry. Gellan also finds application in the pharmaceutical industry. For example, eye drops are often gelled with gellan so that they stay in the eye longer. It is also used in microbiological research as an alternative to the gelling agent agar agar to solidify culture media.

Unlike gelatine, gellan is a vegan gelling agent. Although it is harmless to health, it is worth taking a closer look at the list of ingredients: Gellan is often used in combination with other thickeners and other additives to achieve the desired gel texture.

Calcium carbonate is a natural substance that some people also take to prevent calcium deficiency. Here we explain how you can use calcium carbonate and what special features there are.

Calcium carbonate (also called lime, chemical formula CaCo3) is a salt of carbonic acid. It is a substance that is one of the most common on earth. Calcium carbonate is found, for example, in the mineral calcite and in our bones and teeth. Calcium carbonate is also found in large quantities in the shells of crabs, snails, mussels and corals. Calcium carbonate is often found mixed with other minerals: together with magnesium, for example, it is found in limestone.

Calcium carbonate is mined (from rock) and also made synthetically. The salt is insoluble in water, insensitive to light and extremely heat-resistant.

Calcium carbonate: application of the mineral

Calcium carbonate is often prescribed by doctors when a person has a calcium deficiency. Various diseases, such as osteoporosis or an underactive parathyroid gland, can indicate this. Calcium carbonate can increase the calcium level in the blood.

As capsules, powder or tablets, you should only take calcium carbonate according to the package insert – depending on the package information, it is best with food or between meals. Even if there is no maximum dose for calcium carbonate, the daily dose of 1200 milligrams of calcium recommended by the DGE should not be exceeded.

Calcium carbonate is mainly used in the construction industry in the production of cement and burnt lime. Calcium carbonate is also used in the paper industry and in agriculture to prevent soil acidification.

Effect of Calcium Carbonate

The nerves as well as all muscles and bones need calcium for their functionality. Calcium carbonate contains readily available calcium and is available as an inexpensive powder.
In the case of heartburn and indigestion, calcium carbonate can neutralize stomach acid, but it can also cause constipation. Products with calcium carbonate replace the formerly popular sodium hydrogen carbonate (soda), which, according to the DAZ, sometimes leads to severe flatulence.
In principle, calcium carbonate is considered harmless. However, depending on the amount ingested, hypersensitivity may occur.
In addition, kidney stones can form and there can be interactions or deviatingly strong or weak effects with medication, according to the package insert.

Calcium carbonate as an additive

Calcium carbonate can be added to foods during production and is then declared with the E number E170. It often has the function of a natural colorant or stabilizer. In winemaking, the substance can be used to regulate acidity. Calcium carbonate is also permitted for organic products, but not as a coloring agent. Basically, it is often found as an additive in the following foods:
chewing gum
grated / sliced ​​cheese
grape juice
deacidification of wine
baking mixes and baked goods
Isotonic drinks and sports nutrition
When treating drinking water, many municipal utilities use calcium carbonate to increase the degree of hardness of the water. Calcium carbonate is often used as a coloring agent in white wall paint and cosmetics.