In the last article, I introduced you the story of apples viewed from a medicinal cuisine.
I’d like to analyze Apple Pies, the top of apple sweets, from the point of medicinal cuisine this time.
The authentic ingredients of the apple pie are a crust made of flour, butter and salt, apples, sugar and cinnamon. Here is a brief introduction of the function of each ingredient viewing from the medicinal cuisine.
| Flour – Food habitat: Cool It is the ingredient that is said to help tranquilize the mind. It’s not for people sensitive to cold, but for those who easily get angry. |
| Butter – Food habitat: Neutral It is believed to moisturize the body from inside. It applies to the people with constipation and dry skin due to dryness. |
| Salt – Food habitat: Cold It is the ingredient that chills from inside the body, and detoxifying effects are expected. Good for people who are concerned about swelling with fever and itchiness. |
| Apples – Food habitat: Neutral It is the ingredient that moisturizes the body and maintains a healthy digestive system. It’s applicable when you have an upset stomach or a dry cough. |
| Sugar White sugar – Food habitat: Cool It’s effective when you have a concern with a dry cough or a hangover. – Granulated sugar – Food habitat: Neutral When dryness or fatigue is a concern. Light brown sugar – Food habitat: Neutral When dryness or excitement is a concern. Brown sugar – Food habitat: Thermal For menstrual cramps due to cold and for relief from fatigue |
| Cinnamon – Food habitat: Thermogenic It is the ingredient that warms the body and promotes blood flow. It’s recommended for those who have coldness at the extremities of the body, and those who are concerned with thinning hair due to poor blood circulation. |
The flour, the main ingredient of pie crust, is classified as “Cool.” However, the character can be moderated depending on the way of cooking. In case you dare to eat some apple pie although you are sensitive to cold, just heat it up in an oven toaster or microwave oven to serve as a hot apple pie.
For those who want to make an apple pie from scratch, you can substitute wheat flour with rice flour, or use brown sugar instead of white sugar. Adding extra cinnamon powder is recommended as well.
By the way, are you a fan of cinnamon in apple pies? Do you go for with or without cinnamon?
We often hear people say that they don’t prefer apple pies with cinnamon among Japanese people. The apple pie specialist shop in Tokyo claims to have non-cinnamon apple pie in the staple goods list.
There is a book published in March 2021 called “Hirosaki Apple Pie Recipe Book” which introduces all different apple pies from 43 stores. Even though it includes the apple pies without recipes, the book states the variety of apples used, the degree of sweetness and tartness and five levels of cinnamon intensity. Of those 43 kinds, 23 were non-cinnamon ones. The one served at a coffee shop isn’t cooked with cinnamon, but served separately if desired.
Since I grew up near the US military base in Misawa, I’m accustomed to the American Style ones with a lot of cinnamon. It was a surprise for me that more than half of apple pies in Hirosaki contain no cinnamon. I had a feeling that cinnamon is what is always included. The distinctive flavor of cinnamon might give an image of unfamiliar taste to those who are not used to eating it. I, on the other hand, disliked it at very young age. Later I started to feel the cinnamon flavor very tasty. I may be influenced by my earliest remembered scene of cinnamon-infused apple pies.
Incidentally, cinnamon is commonly used as one of Chinese crude medicine. It’s used in “Kakkonto”, infusion of kudzu starch syrup, for the beginning of a cold. And the prescriptions for such as antifebrile and analgesic medicine, anti-inflammatory drug, tonic for infirmity and women’s health drug frequently ask to combine cinnamon content.
Now, I back to the topic of apple pies. There is a study report that apple polyphenol is good for preventing thinning of hair. Cinnamon contains a component which is effective for thinning hair due to poor blood circulation as well. There are many people suffering from thinning hair in the Japanese stressful and aging society any age and gender. If you have something likely come to mind, why not tasting a fresh apple with peel and a piece of hot apple pie with generously sprinkled cinnamon.
Profile:
Touko Tanaka
Born in Aomori, resides in Tokyo at present. Being a free- lance food related writer, she works on merchandising, planning and recipe creation. She is a member of editing and writing office of “Vegetable Sommelier Journal” published by Japan Vegetable Sommelier Association. Certifications are: Professional Vegetable Sommelier, Chinese Medicine Counselor, etc. Expertise: Easy side dish and daily medicinal cooking. Publications: “Seasonal vegetables – with the knowledge of medicinal cuisine”, “Every day Delicious Tomato Recipes”, etc.
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