Cooking

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The use of fire for cooking, warmth and protection marked a turning point in human cultural evolution and civilisation. Eating cooked food was pivotal in the development of human beings and is believed to have coincided with an increase in brain size. Humans are the only species on earth that has developed the art of cooking and the preservation of this practice is crucial in humankind’s expanding intellectual and spiritual consciousness.

In the Standard Macrobiotic Diet in a temperate climate, about two-thirds of the daily volume of vegetables eaten is cooked and one-third is eaten raw, marinated, pressed or pickled. Nuts are more digestible if lightly roasted with sea salt, and fruit is also easier to assimilate cooked, although it may occasionally be eaten raw. Salt and oil are generally consumed cooked rather than raw.

Adding heat, pressure, and salt during cooking is yanginizing, while raw and lightly cooked food is more yin. In autumn, dishes are cooked for a longer time and seasoned with more salt and oil, and less raw food is eaten than in summer. Long-time cooking and baking, stews, strong soups, and fried dishes are warming and nourishing in the winter. When spring starts, less salt and seasoning and lighter cooking methods, such as steaming, are used to balance the increasingly warmer weather. Salads are eaten more frequently in summer and vegetables are prepared with shorter cooking times.

It is recommended to use gas heat for cooking over electrical and microwave heat, which produce less harmonious energy. For cookware and utensils, stainless steel, cast iron, and wood, glass and ceramic materials are preferred over plastic, teflon or aluminium. Hand methods of food preparation that give a calmer energy are used for daily cooking over electric blenders and food processors.

(Image from The Complete Guide to Macrobiotic Cooking, Aveline Kushi)