Breads and Grains - Celebrating the First Harvest

As Lughnasadh is almost upon us, I thought it would be nice to devote an entry or two to some of the foods associated with the first harvest in the Northern Hemisphere. Different areas produce different foods, but these days we have access to a large variety of foods, no matter where we are. We also have access to those foods throughout most of the year, but I prefer to focus on seasonal produce. Local eating is also an important practice, but it isn’t always easy.

During Lughnasadh, or Lammas, as well as Mabon, we celebrate the harvest of grains and the foods that can be made from various grains. Beer and bread are two products that are made from different grains, making them ideal for honoring the gods of the harvest. Other traditional foods include berries and crab apples.

Bread has long been viewed as the “staff of life” and has been made in one form or another for thousands of years. Bread is a divine substance and is often given as an offering during ritual. Some religious practices also use bread as a physical representation of the Divine.

The breaking of bread is more than nourishment; it is a symbol of togetherness, binding together those who eat it.

Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen gives us some information on a few of the grains with which we are most familiar.

Barley

Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Energies: Fertility, money, sex

Barley was an important grain to the ancient Egyptians. It was used as a medium of exchange and was even placed in tombs. According to one Egyptian legend, barley grew out of men, whereas wheat grew out of women.

Sumerians made several types of barley beer. In Indian, barley was sacred to Indra, known as “He who ripens barley”. This grain played an important part in rituals related to childbirth, marriage, and death.

Babylonians also brewed beer with barley. Greeks planted it around temples to Demeter to ask for fertility, and in China, barley is a symbol of the sexual potency of males.

Buckwheat

Planet: Jupiter
Element: Earth
Energies: Money

Buckwheat noodles, or soba, are eaten in Japan on the Japanese New Year for prosperity. Buckwheat pancakes are common in some parts of the United States. In my home state of West Virginia, the Buckwheat Festival is held every autumn. Eat buckwheat pancakes with a touch of maple syrup to attract abundance (in fertility, money, or life).

Corn

Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Energies: Protection, spirituality

An entire entry could be devoted to corn. Corn has been a fundamental part of the religious practices of North and Central America for thousands of years. The Quiche Mayas of Guatemala even believed the first humans were made of corn. Miguel Angel Asturias, a Guatemalan author, even titled one of his works "Hombres de Maiz" (Men of Corn).

The Corn Mother was a widely worshiped deity in the pre-Columbian Americas. Corn is a sacred gift of the Mother Goddess. It is a symbol of life, fertility, and rebirth. To the Zuni, different colors of corn were related to the four directions. Some people still use whole dried or ground corn in various colors to represent the directions.

Yellow - north
White - east
Red - south
Blue - west

Corn bread would be an appropriate food for Lughnasadh, as would tamales, corn chowder, or corn pudding. Place ears of corn on your altar. Blue corn is used to induce spirituality. Scatter corn meal around your ritual sites or use it to mark your circle.

Note: "Corn" outside the U.S. is used to mean any grain except for maize.

Rye

Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Energies: Love

Rye bread made with caraway seeds (and properly charged with your intent) can increase your ability to give and receive love

Wheat

Planet: Venus
Element: Earth
Energies: various

Wheat is the second-most commonly used grain for human consumption. Rice is number one. Egyptians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Hittites, Greeks, and Romans all worshiped harvest deities that were associated with wheat (sometimes seen as "corn").

Wheat-based foods are eaten to bring prosperity and money into your life. Different breads are used for different purposes. Below are a few, courtesy of Scott Cunningham.

Twisted breads - protection
Egg breads - fertility
Sprouted breads - increasing psychic awareness
Garlic bread - protection

Sweetened breads are often used for spring festivals. In Mexico, Pan de Muerto (Bread of the Dead) is eaten on November 2. For Lughnasadh this year, why not try your hand at baking your own bread? There are thousands of recipes online, many of them very simple, and the rewards outweigh any labor involved.

I prefer making my bread by hand for several reasons. One, I don't have a bread maker or a mixer. Two, I like to get my hands into the dough and feel the texture of the flour and really put my own energies into the food. I absolutely love the kneading process required to make most breads.

The following chant is one I'm sure many of you know, and I think it is a very good one to sing when kneading bread:

Hoof and horn, hoof and horn
All that dies shall be reborn
Corn and grain, corn and grain
All that falls shall rise again

This year, if you can, bake a loaf or two of bread. Offer some to Lugh or another deity, and break bread with the people you care about. Light a candle, give thanks, and pass around the loaf.

Home again, jiggedy jog

I got back to Istanbul last night. I did some cooking and a little bit of recipe testing while I was in the States with my friends and family and will make some more posts soon. I also wrote to Llewellyn and it seems that they *might* be interested in looking at some of my materials. I need to get busy!

Skillz? Nope, none here!

But I try.

Honey-Sesame Tofu

I used to hate tofu, but I learned to like it a few years ago. Normally when I order it at a Chinese restaurant it's deep fried, which kind of misses the point. It's a light, low-fat, high-quality protein. I really like it now that I have a band in my tummy. It's nice and soft and doesn't get stuck on the way down :)

This is a recipe that I have made with other forms of protein too. I've used chicken and shrimp (my favorite). It works really well with all three, and you can adjust the sauce to taste. The sauce only has 3 ingredients (4 if you had red pepper flakes).

To begin, you need:



1 block of firm tofu, pressed, drained, and sliced
corn starch to dredge the tofu

And for the sauce:
4 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp toasted sesame oil (yum!)

Garnish with toasted sesame seeds if you like

Dredge the slices of tofu in corn starch. This is the key to crispy, delicious tofu. Fry the slices of tofu in a nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray or a little olive oil. Let it cook for a few minutes on each side, until it is brown and crispy. GIve it about 5 minutes on one side, and 3-4 minutes on the other.

Whisk together your sauce ingredients and pour over the tofu. Turn down the heat and let it simmer for just a couple of minutes, to glaze the tofu. Add the toasted sesame seeds once it's plated.





I served mine with Basmati rice and a frozen vegetable mix. The vegetables were tossed with 1 minced clove of garlic and 1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger. I also added a couple splashes of soy sauce.

Nom!

Mercimek Koftesi - Red Lentil Patties

Today I decided to make a couple of my favorite Turkish dishes. These savory lentil patties are a mezze dish - a cold appetizer. They make a great meat-free meal on their own, served in lettuce leaves with a squeeze of lemon.

Ingredients



Red lentils - 1 cup
Fine bulgar - 1 cup
Tomato paste - 2 tablespoons
Green onions - 2 or 3, finely sliced
Parsley - 1/2 bunch, finely chopped
Cumin - 1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes (optional) - 2 tsp

Rinse the lentils and cook them in 3 cups of water for 10 minutes. Add the bulgar. Stir, cover and turn off the heat. Allow to sit for about 20 minutes.



Using a spoon, finely mash the lentils to a paste. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and chill for 1 hour. When chilled, form into patties. Chill until times to serve.






I like to serve mine with more garlic-dill yogurt.

Sunday

Today is the sun's day, and to honor the sun, I decided to hit the kitchen and make some foods the remind me of the sun, whether in color, heat, or (masculine) energy.

Carrots - Masculine. Obviously a phallic symbol. The orange color resembles the sun, especially when the vegetable is sliced into discs.

Dill - Masculine. Ruled by Mercury. Element: Fire.
Uses: intelligence, mental powers, psychic powers, self-improvement, study, travel, and wisdom. Can also be used in love spells.

Parsley - Increases sexual energy and increases fertility (w00t!)

Onion - Same as parsley

I have included some feminine ingredients today as well. Yogurt is one. I am also going to share a lentil recipe with you. Lentils are ruled by the Moon. Tomorrow is the moon's day and I am getting ready.

Now, some books state that we should not incorporate ingredients with conflicting energies into the same recipes. For example, you do not want to make a recipe that includes foods for promoting psychic or mental powers with ingredients that promote increased sexuality. However, I am not making anything for a specific magical purpose. I'm cooking because I'm bored, hungry, and have some ingredients to get rid of before I travel to the US for my vacation!