Cheese products during Lent: What is allowed on the table?
Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and lasts until Easter. Many people are taking the opportunity to live a healthier life for at least a few weeks. The classic foods that are avoided are alcohol, sweets and meat. Cheese, on the other hand, is welcome to be served.
Originally, people fasted for religious purposes. All founders of religions, be it Christ, Buddha or Mohammed, fasted before making important decisions. Fasting was used for penance and to ward off evil. Initially, Christians fasted for two days: Wednesdays and Fridays. Over time, they abandoned this custom, although some people still don't eat meat on Fridays.
The health benefits of therapeutic fasting were later discovered. Therapeutic fasting means completely abstaining from solid food over a certain period of time. One of the most famous pioneers in this field was Hildegard von Bingen, who lived in the 11th century. Nowadays, during Lent, we tend to avoid alcohol, chocolate, or mobile phones rather than eating in general. The reasons for fasting have also changed in the meantime. Today, people fast for health reasons, to increase their sense of well-being or out of gratitude.
Interesting fact on the side
In the Middle Ages and well into the 18th century, people refrained from eating during Lent and drank all the more alcohol. At that time people generally drank thin beer because water was a health hazard due to the germs. During Lent people also liked to drink strong beer in order to still be able to do the physical work.
And who doesn't enjoy a full-bodied fasting beer these days, true to the motto "Liquid doesn't break the fast".
Fasting effect without starving?
Have you ever heard of spermidine? Put simply, spermidine is an active ingredient that is present in all body cells. It can activate cell renewal, known as autophagy. Old cell material is broken down and new, healthy material is built up. Cellular rejuvenation works best through fasting. Or by increasing the spermidine concentration in the body. There are three major sources of spermidine, one of which is diet. Even if there are no scientifically proven studies on this, researchers assume that legumes, mushrooms, some types of fruit and mature cheese contain a particularly large amount of spermidine. This means that by enjoying matured cheese, one could theoretically achieve an effect similar to that of intermittent fasting and thus stimulate cell renewal.
Fruity partners: food pairing with non-alcoholic beverages
Most people avoid sweets or alcohol during Lent. If you are one of them, you could use this time to be open to new taste experiences when it comes to cheese. Cheese can not only be combined with wine or beer, but also goes well with certain non-alcoholic drinks. A look at a typical cheese platter shows that the combination of cheese and juice is only strange at first glance. There are mostly grapes, pears, figs. Why not serve it in liquid form as grape or pear juice with cheese? A full-bodied pure apple juice also harmonizes well with the aromatic WOERLE Heumilch Mondseer or the delicately spicy WOERLE Tilsiter. A little tip: fruit juices, from the same region as the cheese, trigger real taste explosions on the palate. Tea is also becoming increasingly popular, for example green tea or black tea. The tannins, i.e. the substances that give the tea its pleasantly bitter note, combine with the fat and proteins in the cheese. This way you will digest the cheese better. Another positive effect is that the tea neutralizes the taste buds of your tongue again. As a result, you can taste its full aroma again with every new piece of cheese.
