Those who eat chilli live longer! Here are all the reasons…

09.02.2022

EATING CHILI PEPPER CAN EXTEND YOUR LIFE!

This is the conclusion of a maxi-study that monitored the eating habits of nearly 500,000 people in China for seven years.

This was revealed by a Chinese study of 500,000 people between 35 and 79 years old. EATING chili peppers can extend your life by many years. The international team of researchers, led by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, found that those who ate spicy foods once or twice a week were able to reduce the risk of mortality by 10%.

Those who added spices to their meals three to seven times a week could count on a risk of mortality reduced by as much as 14%. A benefit probably associated with the high content of capsaicin, vitamin C and other nutrients contained in these ingredients.

Different kind of chili peppers

The research, published in the British Medical Journal, examined people aged 35 to 79 from 10 different geographical areas of China. Participants were asked what type of spice they consumed most often and how often. Chilli, widely used in China, was the most frequent response.

After all, observes the researcher Nita Forouhi , of the University of Cambridge, many of the virtues of chili pepper – and in particular of capsaicin , the alkaloid that is responsible for its spiciness – are known: from anti-oxidants to anti-inflammatory and even anti-cancer.

Experts, for now, are cautious; the study was only ‘observational’ and, therefore, requires technical insights to recommend a change in eating style. “Further research is needed to establish whether the consumption of spicy food can directly improve health and reduce the mortality rate, or if it is just an external sign of other factors affecting dietary habits and lifestyle.”, they specify.

Chili peppers are healthy

THE BEST CHILLI IN THE WORLD IS IN CALABRIA!!!

Scientific confirmation arrives. Great taste and also good for your health. It is also the spiciest (among the good ones).

The Italian and Calabrian chili in particular, is not only a product of great taste but is also good for health (but as with all things, even if good, abuses must be avoided).

Chilli is rich in provitamin A and vitamin C and has antiseptic, digestive and vasodilatory properties. Recent studies have shown that it also contributes to reducing the sense of hunger and as regards the spiciness , the maximum is offered by the Calabrian cigarette.

The Italian agri-food research body, CREA, studied the effect of genotype, environment and conservation treatment on the content of genotypes grown in three sites (Montanaso Lombardo, Monsampolo del Tronto and Battipaglia) important compounds from a nutritional and sensorial point of view.

The different genotypes did not generally respond uniformly in the different environments, highlighting, for these characters, a significant interaction with the cultivation environment.

Calabrian chili peppers “diavolicchio”

The Calabrian cigarette genotype has always shown the maximum values of capsaicinoids, responsible for both the spiciness (52000-85000 degrees Scoville in the freeze-dried fresh product and 38000-86000 in the dried one) and for many of the beneficial properties of chilli.

Always with a view to enhancing typical products, Crea Agriculture and Environment has succeeded with innovative methods in discriminating the production areas of the Calabrese Cigarette cultivar.

This so precious food will now be enhanced by Crea, which is completing Pepic “Hot pepper supply chain: research interventions for the choice of varieties and for the innovation of cultural processes”, a project activated at the request of the Chilli supply chain table and financed by the ministry for Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies, through Ismea , precisely to promote a product chain of superior quality, innovative, integrated and competitive.

Chilli challenge

The analyzes showed how chillies tend to stand out on the basis of both the other types on the market (sweet and ornamental) and their geographical origin. In particular, the Italian pepper has differentiated genetically from that coming from the Americas and Asia. Let’s eat chilli for a long and healthy life!

The Treasure of Pink Garlic

18.10.2021

Nicastro pink garlic is a historical product of the Lamezia Terme area, in the province of Catanzaro. Of medium size, it has a rounded shape, white in color with pink veins.

The excellence of “Nicastro pink” garlic is characterized by certain morphological and organoleptic characteristics, such as the size, the pink color inside, the intense aroma, the slightly bitter taste that lasts unchanged for several months.

The production of Nicastro pink garlic begins with the care of the seedbeds which, fertilized with organic fertilizer, will go into production in the autumn.

Warm colors

The cloves produced in the previous year are planted in the ground where they live until the month of May; afterwards the plants are uprooted and left to dwell for a month in an area of penumbra. This garlic also beats the Spanish one for naturalness, color, flavor, smell.

The “Rosa di Nicastro” garlic is a typical commercial reference to “Made in Italy” or rather to “Made in Calabria”. It is the affirmation of the Mediterranean diet, which is part of the UNESCO heritage of intangible assets. This is due to the fact that production of Nicastro pink garlic begins with the care of the seedbeds which, after being fertilized, go into production in autumn. The garlic is harvested the next June. Packaged in braids, it is left to dry. Although it exhibits an intense taste and aroma, which persists for up to a year after harvest, it remains delicate at the same time, a characteristic that makes it particularly popular in the area.

TERRITORY AND HISTORY

Nicastro is one of the municipal districts of Lamezia Terme, in the province of Catanzaro, of which it represents the most populous district. Until 1968 it was an autonomous municipality. Its history begins between the 9th and 10th centuries and, since then, numerous civil and, above all, religious buildings have arisen on its territory, many of which have been rebuilt following the disastrous earthquake of 1638.

A natural shape

The city of Nicastro has always been known for the fertility of its lands, especially for the production of exquisite vegetables from all over the province. Already in the Bourbon period, on the occasion of the St. Peter and Paul Fair, such richness was exhibited and the pink garlic was the protagonist among the banquets. So much so that in 1826 the King of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinando Secondo, promulgated a decree to allow the Fair to be extended from three to five days.

Despite the difficult periods that garlic production has encountered over the years, today it is still possible to go to the historic Fair of Apostles, held every year at the end of June, and buy it from the few farmers who still cultivate it, since more than hundred years.

White and pink shades

NAME AND FEATURES

Considered a rare product, the Nicastro pink garlic deserved the attention of the Slow Food Foundation which promotes it and contributes to its protection through the Ark of Taste project. It was assured protection due to the delicious Calabrian bulb, rounded and of medium size. Further, despite the intense taste and flavor, which lasts up to one year after harvest, it is also still pleasantly delicate; and it is precisely for this reason that it is particularly appreciated in the area.

IN THE KITCHEN (a recipe)

The intense taste and aroma of this garlic makes it suitable for flavoring many different recipes. Its delicacy, in fact, makes it discreet and never overwhelming, enhancing all the flavors present in the dish.

Good, tasty, delicious

Find herein a typical recipe: “Spaghetti with red garlic, oil and chilli“.

Ingredients:

  • 500 grams of spaghetti,
  • 5 cloves of garlic,
  • 2 red chillies,
  • extra virgin olive oil,
  • salt.

Preparation:

Boil water in a pot, in the meantime heat some oil in a pan with the chopped chilli pepper, add the clean and chopped garlic cloves and brown them, making sure they do not darken too much. Drain the pasta al dente, fry it in oil and serve it hot on the table.

Note well:

Garlic in cooking is a precious ingredient, but sometimes its use can cause unpleasant (and “odorous”) “side effects” on the hands. Cook it without touching the wedges with your hands, simply using a very handy garlic press.