Category: Neglected species

Posted on

Traditional tattoo dye to go mainstream

The report in FoodNavigator seemed pretty boring at first sight:

EcoFlora has developed a natural, acid-stable blue coloring for foods, beverages and cosmetics and it says the creation of a sustainable supply chain differentiates it from other colors on the market.

But then I googled the plant involved (“edible jagua fruit, which grows in the Chocó rainforest” of Colombia). It turns out jagua is Genipa americana, which is cultivated for its edible fruit, but also has other traditional uses.

South American Indians bathe their legs in the clear liquid obtained from the fruit. The liquid has an astringent effect. When the liquid oxidizes, it stains the skin black. These stains are permanent, but only color the top few layers of skin, and thus disappear after about a fortnight, when the skin is naturally shed. As South Americans Indians went into battle, they used to paint themselves with Genipa juice and annatto.

The active compound is called genipin. Apparently, there’s been a “recent explosion in the popularity of Jagua body art.”

There’s nothing in the FoodNavigator piece about where the idea for this “natural, acid-stable blue coloring for foods, beverages and cosmetics” ultimately came from. However…

EcoFlora says it is committed to working with some of the poorest communities in the region to harvest the fruit in a manner which is environmentally sustainable and beneficial to the local economy.

Well, that’s something, I suppose.

Posted on

Nibbles: Fisheries, Mangroves, European bison, Dormouse, Eating & drinking heirlooms, Apios, Kombucha, Organic and health

Posted on

Fermentation in the Himalayas

The recent post on fermentation clearly struck a chord with our friend and colleague Bhuwon Sthapit of Bioversity International. Here’s his contribution to the discussion.

It is interesting to note the myriad different ways in which locally available cereals and other sources of food are fermented by local people through the action of microorganisms, either naturally or by adding a starter culture, which modifies the substrate biochemically and organoleptically into and edible product, generally nutritious, tasty and safe. These inexpensive, culturally acceptable traditional foods provide basic diets and sources of nutrition. In the Hindu-Kush Himalayan region alone more than 20 varieties of ethnic fermented food are found and more than 10 types of fermented beverages are consumed in Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan. Most of them are common, while other fermented foods are less familiar and confined to particular communities and locations.

Continue reading “Fermentation in the Himalayas”

Posted on

Japanese agrobiodiversity art

Adam at Mutantfrog Travelogue, which seems to be a blog about things Japanese, has a post about a craft called Mizuhiki (水引). This involves the decorative use of twine made from a special kind of traditionally-produced paper called Washi or Wagami (和紙). Washi is made from all kinds of different agrobiodiversity:

Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (Edgeworthia papyrifera), or the paper mulberry, but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat.

That “gampi tree” gave me a bit of trouble, but I finally ran it to ground. It seems to be Wikstroemia sikokiana in the Thymelaeaceae. The paper looks beautiful. Anyway, in researching all this I came across a little gem:

In 1869 the then Prime Minister, William Gladstone, requested a report on Japanese paper and papermaking from the British Embassy in Japan. A thorough investigation was carried out by Sir Harry Parkes and his team of consular staff in different Japanese towns, resulting in the publication of a government report, “Reports on the manufacture of paper in Japan“, and the formation of a collection of 400+ sheets of handmade paper. The main parts of this collection are now housed in the Paper Conservation Laboratory of the Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Economic Botany Collection of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In 1879 Kew sent duplicate samples to Glasgow, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, but these have been lost. The Parkes paper collection is important because the origin, price, manufacturing method and function of each paper was precisely documented.

Something to check out the next time I’m in London.