Pontic Greek cuisine: the most common foods, ingredients, and dishes presented in cookbooks and folklore literature

Introduction The Pontic Greeks, besides their long and distinguished history, have a special and important culture and identity, elements of which are still preserved and active by their descendants a century after their settlement in Greece. One element of their identity and culture is their basic yet diverse cuisine, which is an important and recognized local cuisine in contemporary Greece. This study aimed to identify the most common foods, ingredients, and dishes found in Greek Pontic Cuisine. Methods Six cookbooks, two cooking magazines, four folklore books, and four folklore magazines were reviewed in this study. A considerable amount of data was collected and processed using a text analysis tool. Results and discussion The study provides the most frequently encountered dishes, foods, and ingredients that feature in the publications. The most common dishes are soups, including tanomenon sorva (soup with coarse grains, salty strained yogurt, and mint). Among other dishes, siron (a pre-baked filo-based pastry dish), chavitz (a thick corn dish resembling porridge), and foustoron (an omelet with fresh cow butter) are quite common. Common staples are anchovies and greens. In cookbooks and cookery magazines, ingredients include butter, wheat, eggs, tomatoes, milk, bulgur, corn-flour, and cheese. Meanwhile, the study publications are an excellent way of passing down traditional food knowledge intergenerational, as they are largely descended from Pontic Greek progenitors. Conclusion After analyzing all the publications, it was declared that dairy products, grains, and vegetables were commonly used in Pontic cuisine. It was concluded that cookbooks are crucial for the preservation of the Greek Pontic culinary tradition.

The Exploration of the Food Education Program in Primary and Secondary Schools

Nowadays, unhealthy dietary habits, insufficient food knowledge, and lack of manual skills are typical issues among primary and secondary school students in China. To help students build up a strong constitution and life wisdom, Weifang Hansheng School of Shandong developed a food education course. This paper expounds on the course framework, contents of food education textbooks and the measures to implement the course.

The Exploration of the Food Education Program in Primary and Secondary Schools

Nowadays, unhealthy dietary habits, insufficient food knowledge, and lack of manual skills are typical issues among primary and secondary school students in China. To help students build up a strong constitution and life wisdom, Weifang Hansheng School of Shandong developed a food education course. This paper expounds on the course framework, contents of food education textbooks and the measures to implement the course.

Upaya Meningkatkan Pengetahuan Ibu dalam Pemberian Makanan Pendamping Asi (MPASI) di Desa Rabutdaiyo Tahun 2021

Abstrak Latar belakang: Pemberian MPASI yang benar dapat mengoptimalkan tumbuh kembang anak, akan tetapi masih banyak orang tua yang belum memahami praktek pemberian MPASI yang benar. Hasil observasi menunjukan sebagian besar orang tua di Desa Rabutdaiyo belum mengetahui kapan waktu yang ideal untuk memberikan MPASI. Hampir sebagian besar orang tua di Desa Rabutdaiyo memberikan MPASI sebelum 6 bulan, bahkan ada yang kurang dari 3 bulan. Berdasarkan fakta di atas maka peneliti tertarik untuk memberikan penyuluhan sebagai upaya meningkatkan pemahaman ibu dalam pemberian makanan pendamping ASI (MPASI). Metode: Eksperimen semu (quasi experiment) berdasarkan rancangan one group pre-posttest design digunakan dalam studi ini. Penelitian ini dilakukan secara langsung melalui intervensi penyuluhan tentang MPASI. Variabel dalam penelitian ini terdiri dari pengetahuan ibu tentang MPASI, usia ibu, pendidikan ibu, paritas dan status pemberian MPASI. Besar sampel dalam studi ini menggunakan total sampling 20 ibu yang memiliki baduta Hasil: Analisis t-test menunjukkan ada perbedaan yang signifikan antara skor pengetahuan tentang MPASI sebelum dan sesudah intervensi Kesimpulan: Kegiatan penyuluhan tentang MPASI di Desa Rabutdaiyo terbukti secara statistik dapat meningkatkan pengetahuan ibu tentang MPASI. Kata kunci: Penyuluhan MPASI, tumbuh kembang, pengetahuan ibu Abstract Background: Giving the correct complimentary food to children can help them grow and develop more quickly, but many parents are unaware of this practice. According to the findings, the majority of parents in Rabutdaiyo Village do not know when it is appropriate to administer MPASI. The majority of parents in Rabutdaiyo Village provided supplemental feeding prior to the age of six months, and some even before the age of three months. The researchers are interested in undertaking counseling to boost mothers' knowledge of complementary feeding (MPASI). based on the findings above Methods: A quasi-experiment with a one-group pre-posttest design was employed as the research approach. This research was conducted directly through counseling intervention about MPASI. Mother's awareness of complementary meals, mother's age, mother's education, parity, and status of complementary feeding were the variables in this study. A total of 20 mothers with children under the age of two were included in this study's sample size. Result: There was a significant difference in complementary food knowledge scores before and after the intervention, according to the t-test analysis. Conclusion: Counseling activities on MPASI in Rabutdaiyo Village were statistically proven to increase mothers' knowledge about MPASI. Key Words: MPASI counseling , growth and development, mother's knowledge

Predicting Factors on Destination Food Image among International Tourists in Malaysia

This study aimed to identify factors influencing destination food image among the international tourists in Malaysia. Food tourism is becoming a trend among tourists. By trying different foods from different countries, tourists able to understand and gained knowledge on the country’s culture. In Malaysia, the food knowledge among the international tourists are limited. Although there are several Malaysian foods which are popular, it still remained unknown for the tourists. This caused international tourists to feel strange and unfamiliar with the food heritage in Malaysia. A quantitative research was carried out, where questionnaires were distributed to the international tourists in Malaysia using Google Form. Sample size of 278 respondents were collected, and Partial Least Square – Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM), SmartPLS 3.0. was used to run the data. Result showed among the five independent variables, only Social Media do not have significant relationship with Destination Food Image. Discussion and result of these 5 variables were explained in this study. Lastly, limitations and recommendations were included to provide contribution to the future academicians who are interested in the related field.

Concerns and priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples regarding food and nutrition: a systematic review of qualitative evidence

Background Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians experience persistent health and social inequities. Chronic conditions, many of which are diet-related, are leading contributors to the burden of disease and health inequity in Australia. First Nations Peoples have the right to be involved in all policy decisions affecting them. This review aimed to synthesise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ concerns and priorities about food and nutrition in order to inform policies to improve health equity. Methods MEDLINE, CINAHL, Informit and Google Scholar were systematically searched to identify qualitative studies–published from January 2008–that included data from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples about their concerns and priorities related to food and nutrition. Data were extracted from included studies using a pre-determined template and study quality was assessed using the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Quality Appraisal Tool. Qualitative findings were synthesised using inductive thematic analysis and categorised based on an ecological model of health. Results Twenty-one studies were included. Key factors influencing food and nutrition were identified across all levels of the ecological framework. These included interpersonal and institutional racism, junk food availability and marketing, food accessibility and affordability, housing conditions, food knowledge and cooking skills, and connection to family and culture. Conclusions Documenting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ lived experiences of the colonised food system is one step necessary for informing policy to tackle food and nutrition inequities. Based on existing qualitative research, food and nutrition policymakers should prioritise building a supportive food environment by focusing on self-determination; ensuring access to healthy, affordable food and safe housing; and by eliminating systemic racism.

Exploring culinary heritage practices among the younger Chetti generations in Melaka

Chetti or Peranakan Indian cuisine is a historical creolized minority ethnic cuisine of Malaysia that carries the gene of the country’s multi-ethnic sociocultural development. Its culinary heritage is a unique blend of South Indian, Malay, and Nyonya cuisines. Despite its unique role in symbolizing Malaysia’s status as a multicultural nation, little is documented about the ethnic cuisine. The fact that the Chetti ethnic population is extremely small and continually shrinking means that the future of Chetti cuisine is uncertain. In this context, this paper aims to investigate the role of the younger Chetti generation in reviving the ethnic culinary heritage and the transmission of Chetti traditional food knowledge (TFK) in the contemporary setting. There is evidence that the younger Chetti generation are straying from their culture’s traditional cuisine due to migration, modernization, and urbanization, among other reasons. There are concerns that this may lead to the extinction of Chetti culinary heritage. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight younger Chetti participants in the Chetti village of Gajah Berang, Melaka. The qualitative data obtained from the interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis and revealed four relevant themes. The study found that the younger Chetti generation is relatively knowledgeable about their ethnic culinary heritage but overall unskilled. Whilst they predominantly learn about their culture’s cuisine from their mothers, it was found that Chetti ceremonies and festivals, as well as participation in other cultural events, also contribute to TFK transfer among the younger Chetti generation.

Adaptation and Validation of a Questionnaire to Evaluate Knowledge of the Low Phe Diet in PKU

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive disorder of phenylalanine (Phe) metabolism, causing a build-up of Phe in the body. Treatment consists of a Phe-restricted diet for life and regular determination of blood Phe levels to monitor the intake of Phe. Despite the fact that diet is the cornerstone of treatment, there are no studies examining common knowledge about food items and whether they are allowed as part of the PKU diet. Improving parents’ and patients’ knowledge and competence about the diet enables them to make appropriate food choices. This study validates a food-knowledge questionnaire first developed in Spanish and modified for English speaking populations. The questionnaire potentially helps parents to prepare appropriate meals and healthcare providers to create individualized educational programs about PKU for children and adolescents with this disorder.