Ingredients
Cannabis
Other Names: Bhang (or bang), charas (hashish), or ganga (Hindi); cáñamo índico, grifa, or hachís (Spanish); canapa Indiana (Italian); chanvre indien (French); da ma (Chinese); grass; hash or hashish; hashish qinnib (Arabic); hind kinnabi (Turkish); Indian hemp (British); kannabisu (Japanese); kif, qinnib, shâhdânag, or sharâneq (Moroccan); maconha (Portuguese); marihuana or marijuana (Mexican); Mary Jane; pot; weed.
General Description: Marijuana is the leaves, buds, and flowers of Cannabis sativa, popularly used as a spice, herb, and mild hallucinogen. Cannabis has a long history of use in religious ceremonies, in traditional customs, for medicinal use, and as a culinary herb. Cannabis is used medically for stimulating the appetite and reducing pain for cancer patients, and for helping those with glaucoma.
There are three types of cannabis used in India. Bhang, a Sanskrit term referring to cannabis from Bengal, is one of the most ancient forms. It is made from the leaves and stems of uncultivated plants blended into a liquid, sometimes served with yogurt and sweet spices. Ganja, more potent than bhang, is made from the resinous tops of cultivated plants. Charas, similar to hashish, is obtained by scraping the resin from the leaves of cultivated plants.
Cannabis is mixed with dried fruits, nuts, and spices to make the Moroccan candy called majoun, “love potion” in Arabic. Marijuana is considered an essential herb in Jamaica’s Rastafarian cooking. Cannabis seeds may be toasted and used as a condiment, ground and brewed as a coffee substitute, made into cakes, or fried. In Japan, the seeds, called asanomi, are one of the ingredients in the spice mixture shichimi togarashi.
Season: This easily grown plant is in season year-round; much of it is grown in hothouses.
Purchase and Avoid: The possession and growing of marijuana for private use are illegal in the United States. Many European countries have either decriminalized cannabis or have stopped enforcing laws against it.
Serving Suggestions: Fresh green marijuana leaves may be dipped into melted butter, sprinkled with salt, and eaten. The seeds can be added to bread dough.
Food Affinities: Almond, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, dates, ginger, nutmeg, rose water, sesame, sugar, yogurt.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
