Calendar of Events
Note: Meetings are usually held on the second Sunday of each month, September through May, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Currently we are meeting via Zoom, but in-person meetings are held at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda, Maryland, and occasionally at other venues. The meetings are open to anyone. However, certain meetings may require a fee.
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Yoghurt: A Global History
December 12, 2021 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
June Hersh, a former teacher and businesswoman, began her writing career after retiring in 2004. Her first book, Recipes Remembered, a Celebration of Survival, (Ruder Finn Press, May 2011) was written in association with and to benefit the Museum of Jewish Heritage-a Living Memorial to the Holocaust.
June has also authored The Kosher Carnivore (St. Martin’s Press, September, 2011) and Still Here, Inspiration from Survivors and Liberators of the Holocaust. June’s latest book Yoghurt: A Global History for British publisher Reaktion Books (hence the “h” in yogurt) was released in March 2021 and is part of their Edible Food Series. The book features global yogurt recipes as well as rich historical background and current research on the world’s oldest food fad. June is a contributing writer for Westchester Magazine and various food blogs.
You can follow her on Instagram and Facebook @junehersh. She welcomes feedback at eatwelldogood18@gmail.com.
www.junehersh.com
TALK DESCRIPTION
Yogurt, the world’s oldest food fad, is a fascinating exploration of a food we have been enjoying since Neolithic times. From its first discovery in Anatolia, (ancient Turkey) to its medicinal uses noted by Greek and Roman scholars, through the Golden Age of Islam, and into 20th century media, yogurt has been an ever-present food phenomenon. It has fed the army of Genghis Khan, been reported on by Marco Polo, was a curative for the King of France, and earned a Russian scientist a Nobel Prize.
In this discussion of yogurt we will explore all these rich historical connections and discover some unique and interesting food facts about a simple substance that has been nourishing and nurturing the world for thousands of years. We will also explore recent research that links yogurt to heart health, weight management, and a happy brain-gut connection. Additionally, if you find the dairy aisle daunting, the choices of yogurt confusing, and the ways of integrating into your daily life challenging, then you will find this talk illuminating.
Join me on a global journey through the rich and satisfying history of the world’s oldest fermented food-yogurt, a food fad trending for millennia.