Posted on 05/24/2022 8:50:48 AM PDT by BenLurkin
With 90% of calories coming from just 15 crops, experts at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London are hunting for ingredients to future-proof our diets.
The pandanus (Pandanus tectorius) is a small tree that grows in coastal areas from the Pacific Islands to the Philippines. The leaves are used to flavour sweet and savoury dishes across much of Southeast Asia, while the pineapple-like fruit can be eaten raw or cooked.
Beans, or legumes, are another ''food of the future". They are cheap, high in proteins and B-vitamins, and they are adapted to a wide range of environments from ocean shores to mountain slopes.
There are 20,000 species of legumes in the world, but we use only a handful. It's thought there are hundreds in the wild as yet unknown to scientists.
Cereals, which come from grasses, also have huge diversity, with more than 10,000 species - offering lots of potential for new foods.
Fonio (Digitaria exilis) is a nutritious African cereal used to make couscous, porridge and drinks. Cultivated locally as a crop, the plant can tolerate dry conditions.
Enset or "false banana" is a close relative of the banana, but is consumed only in one part of Ethiopia.
The banana-like fruit of the plant is inedible, but the starchy stems and roots can be fermented and used to make porridge and bread.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
Boy, would I be lucky. Blessed. An automaton?
I'd be pushing 97
Why not. The old fear porn is wearing thin and people aren’t buying it any more.
If I live long enough, I don’t have any plans to eat any differently than I do now.
I actually thought it was a fascinating article.
Why do Americans only eat 1 kind of banana, for example? Is it the most healthy or tastiest kind of banana, or might there be another kind of banana that tastes better and includes more nutrients? Personally, I love the taste of an apple banana, but they’re really hard to find in the US.
Same with beans or grains — perhaps there are other kinds of beans besides what we’re accustomed to that is cheaper to produce and is healthier for us.1
Nothing wrong with evaluating what we’re currently eating, and what might be better for us. I personally appreciate a variety of different kinds of foods, and would love to try new things.
Me too.
Unless it is eating angel food cake in heaven.
If I’m eating anything in 2050, someone will be feeding it to me.
I’ll take my bugs processed through a chicken, thankyouverymuch.
Betcha they’ve talked about it.
That’s so old fashioned.
Kids will love their burgers with “flies”
“You’re gonna eat the bugs, live in the pod, own nothing, and be “
Only if you are under 50 and still needed for serf tasks. Boomers they just want to die and die quickly.
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