Grandma's army

FOOD FOR THE SOUL The Festival of Pesach (Passover), which we celebrate in three days time, is highly symbolized by food. Throughout the eight days of the Festival, matzah (unleavened bread) is eaten instead of ordinary bread, to recall the hurried baking of matzah during the Exodus itself. On the last night in Egypt each Jewish household ritually slaughtered a lamb and then ate it at a family gathering. This banquet – reverent in purpose and joyful in practice – has been perpetuated through the ages in the Pesach `Seder` ceremony, celebrated on Pesach eve. To set the Seder Table for the ceremonies, the following will be arranged on a special Seder plate: Bitter herbs - in memory of the `bitterness` of slavery in Egypt; a sweet paste made of apples, and nuts mixed with a little wine – to soften the bitterness and simulate the `mortar` used by our ancestors in building for the Egyptians; a bone with a little meat roasted - in memory of the ancient Temple sacrifice; a baked egg -...

THE ECOLOGICAL IMPERATIVE - SUSTAINABLE FOOD The term  sustainability  was coined in the seventeenth century by Germany.   Forestry experts had to indicate the number of trees which could be felled in a sustainable manner, i.e. only those which would be able to grow back within an acceptable period of time. The meaning was then extended to indicate a type of development which satisfies current needs, without diminishing the possibilities for future generations to satisfy the same needs. From a nutritional point of view, sustainability implies the adoption of a lifestyle which foresees: an equal distribution of food resources, in a world where over 800 million people suffer from malnourishment - social aspect; the choice of a quality and quantity of food which ensures an adequate and optimal diet (which can prevent degenerative diseases linked to diet, typical of affluent countries) - health aspect; a sustainable environmental i...