You Are What You Eat

By David Meredith, Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Fayette County, Trainee

There is an old saying that 'You are what you eat.' but have you ever thought about where what you eat came from?

The easy answer is that our families have passed down food preferences and recipes that are our traditional favorites. Whether they are daily favorites or holiday treats, where you were raised influences what these foods are. If you order breakfast in the south, grits will probably replace the home fries that you see on your plate in Pennsylvania. I never heard of haluska or halupki until we moved to Uniontown (and my spell checker still doesn't recognize them). Now we look forward to enjoying one, if not both, on the buffet table at most local weddings. My neighbor is from Puerto Rico and grew up eating beans and rice at every meal. I was more likely to eat meat and potatoes.

The more accurate answer to 'Where did it come from?' is complicated. Throughout history humans have traveled the world collecting foods and taking them to new places, often establishing them as the new local favorites.

If you think back to your middle school geography class, you may remember that Christopher Columbus was sailing for India when the New World got in his way. He hoped to find an easier way to bring spices like cinnamon and pepper to Europe. Instead, he and his explorers went home with corn, chocolate, potatoes, and tomatoes. When the Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower, the local tribes of Native Americans taught them to plant the Three Sisters - hills of corn surrounded by beans, with pumpkins planted between the hills. It was a double Triple Crown. Corn needs a lot of nitrogen in the soil and beans produce that nitrogen. To return the favor, the cornstalks provide the perfect support for the climbing vines of the bean plants! Pumpkin plants need a lot of space for their vines. As they fill in between the hills, their large leaves shade out the weeds and discourage raccoons and deer from eating the corn and beans. The Native Americans harvested all three crops in the fall and stored them for eating through the cold winter months. This threesome also provides a nice nutritional variety. Beans are high in protein, corn supplies carbohydrates, and pumpkins and squash are loaded with vitamins and minerals. My family always ate succotash (corn and beans) and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving - and we are not even Pilgrims! Some people do think that I am old enough to remember 1620!

Most holidays include a menu of special foods that we associate with the celebration. For us, New Year's Day always meant sauerkraut and pork. The southern U.S. tradition includes collard greens with black-eyed peas and cornbread. The Spanish eat a dozen grapes as quickly as possible on New Year's Day and in Greece, the number of seeds from a smashed pomegranate is directly proportionate to your share of good fortune in the coming year.

Since the Mardi Gras celebration was canceled this year, we made a big pot of Jambalaya at home. This year, February 12^th was the Chinese New Year, a great opportunity to break out the wok and eat some stir-fry. March 17^th is St. Patrick's Day so corned beef and cabbage (or Shepard's pie) might be on the menu. And don't even think about getting a reservation for a Mexican restaurant for Cinco de Mayo. For decades, our family has also celebrated February 2^nd by having pork sausages. After all, they are made from ground hog… I have always thought that Bob Evans was missing a sales opportunity featuring their sausage and biscuits on Groundhog Day!

There are many foods that we associate with a specific place but knowing their origins can be very surprising. Italy's pasta with sauce is made from tomatoes that originated in South America and noodles that were invented in the Far East. The great potato famine would not have been possible if a visitor to Peru hadn't introduced the potato to Ireland. The Conquistadors found peanuts in Peru and took them back to Spain. By the 1600s, peanuts were growing in Africa, and came to the United States with the slave trade. So did okra, collard greens and black-eyed peas, still popular on menus in Southern U. S. Locally, we enjoy buckwheat pancakes with no regard to the fact that buckwheat was domesticated in China more than 3000 years ago.

As for beverages, coffee came from Africa, cacao (to make hot chocolate) came from South America, and tea originated in China. Maybe on a hot summer day you prefer to drink an Arnold Palmer, because it came from Latrobe.

Many of the foods we eat every day were adopted from Native American cultures or brought to this country by immigrants. To this day global travelers integrate newfound culinary treasures into different cultures. We even try to grow the plants that satisfy those global cravings. While it is fun to experiment with new seed varieties in the home garden, we need to remember that some of these plants are invasive to their new environment and compete with native species. Three common examples are wild onions, garlic mustard, and Queen Anne's Lace. All three came from Europe with the early colonists and have spread widely across the continent. But in fairness, we exported poison ivy to Europe, convincing them that it was a very nice vine with medicinal properties and great fall color!

Perhaps this is your year to grab a shovel, turn over some dirt, add some compost, and plant some seeds. Consider that perhaps 'you are what you eat' and that gardening is a cost effective, healthy way to become a better you. And while you're at It, appreciate the fact that many of the foods that we enjoy every day are from plants that had a very long journey from their origins to our gardens.