Joe Baur Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /byline/joe-baur/ Live Bravely Tue, 16 Jan 2024 19:23:09 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://cdn.outsideonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/favicon-194x194-1.png Joe Baur Archives - 国产吃瓜黑料 Online /byline/joe-baur/ 32 32 This North African Stew Is Straight Endurance Fuel /running/moroccan-tagine-endurance-foods/ Fri, 12 Jan 2024 16:43:49 +0000 /?p=2657622 This North African Stew Is Straight Endurance Fuel

Moroccan trail-running star Elhousine Elazzaoui knows how to top up his tank for reaching the highest podiums in the sport

The post This North African Stew Is Straight Endurance Fuel appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
This North African Stew Is Straight Endurance Fuel

When Elhousine Elazzaoui in the foothills of the Italian Riviera in October, there鈥檚 a good chance the Moroccan sensation was following his stomach.

鈥淎fter a long race or a run, I鈥檒l eat a tagine,鈥 said the 31-year-old nomadic tour guide. The Zagora-born son to a Berber family confirmed his love of tagine, while training in Switzerland, where he splits his time between the Alps and Morocco.

A man finishes a race with a white shirt on and a background of spectators.
(Photo: The 国产吃瓜黑料 Bakery)

Although Elazzaoui鈥檚 strong performances can be attributed to his alpine training, from his win at the 2018 80K Morocco Race to his course record at the Skyrace Loredino-Lavertezzo a year later, it all began for him where he was born.

As a 14-year-old teenager, Elazzaoui happened upon a local race at the Zagora market and decided to join. He won. Ever since, Elazzaoui has never been far from the podium. In a photo finish, he grabbed third place at the DoloMyths Run of the Golden Trail World Series. He followed that with a second-place finish at the La Veia Skyrace and went on to dominate the Swiss Alpine Marathon 43K race, a solid 10 minutes ahead of the next competitor.

A man in a red shirt runs
(Photo: @jsaragossa)

What Is Tagine?

Tagine is a North African stew, typically slow-cooked in a distinctive earthenware pot of the same name. The tagine pot has a unique design that allows for slow and even cooking, with the conical lid trapping steam and condensing it back into the food. This helps to keep the dish moist and flavorful.

Aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, and paprika blend with the sweetness of dried fruits such as apricots, dates, or raisins, fresh herbs, and crunchy nuts for a bit of texture. Savory broth is the medium to meld all the flavors together.

Root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and butternut squash are typical tagine ingredients alongside tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onions, garlic, chickpeas, and eggplant. These vitamin-rich veggies is precisely what draws Elazzaoui to the dish.

鈥淚鈥檓 used to always eating organic,鈥 he says, emphasizing the importance of quality ingredients in a tagine. Although the fresh veggies may vary, couscous is a necessity. Traditionally, it鈥檚 served with some kind of meat, like lamb. Elazzaoui is partial to chicken. But these days, vegetarian, even vegan tagines, are all the rage.

Chicken tagine with green olives and candied lemon, Ramadan food: Tajine djaj bizay toun wal hamid
(Photo: Getty)

Moroccan-American Ultra Fuel

Ultrarunner Yassine Diboun, from Portland, Oregon, makes his tagine . Diboun, 45, is the co-owner of and has Moroccan roots.

Diboun agrees with Elazzaoui that tagine is a great celebratory dish for after a big race鈥攁n opportunity to indulge while replenishing glycogen stores. But he also sees it having carbo-load potential before the race with all of the root vegetables and couscous.

Although Diboun says he grew up without a significant cultural connection to Morocco, he credits some of his success to his North African running genes. His father came to the U.S. from Casablanca in the 1970s, met an American woman, and Diboun wasn鈥檛 far behind.

RELATED: Diboun Runs Through the Night to Confront the Darkness of Substance Addiction

Initially, his running was limited to soccer and basketball. Running as a sport never interested him. It wasn鈥檛 until his late 20s that he started running, but only as part of triathlons.

鈥淚 was kind of average in the water, a decent cyclist, and then I would just catch everyone on the runs,鈥 he says. Others told him he鈥檇 be unstoppable once he fine-tuned his swimming and running. 鈥淥r I could just go run and it would be a lot simpler and a lot cheaper.鈥

Diboun took to trail running while living around the Finger Lakes of upstate New York near Ithaca, where he found that he could transfer his speed from roads to trails. Trail and ultrarunning was just taking off, and it was perfect timing for Diboun to grow alongside the sport.

A man in an orange shirt runs in the desert
Professional ultrarunner Yassine Diboun. (Photo: James Richard Kao)

鈥淚 just started crushing races,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 was in central New York, so I was kind of a big fish in a small pond and made a name for myself in the local trail running and ultra running scene.鈥

In 2009, Diboun鈥檚 wife got a job in Portland, Oregon, and the pair moved to what he calls the mecca of trail running. From there, his career really took off. He set the course record at the Leona Divide 50K with a time of just over four hours, and besides a few Western States finishes (once in the top 10), he won silver for the U.S. at the 2015 IAU World Trail Championships in Annecy, France.

So much of what draws Diboun to trail running is the spirit of the community and opportunity to connect with nature. That said, food is especially close to his heart as well. He calls food and trail running a 鈥渕atch made in heaven,鈥 and recalls traveling decades earlier to Casablanca, to visit his grandmother, who showed him how to make tagine. Sitting among her 鈥渙ld school鈥 pots and pans, he took notes.

鈥淚 sat there with a notebook and watched her make tagine,鈥 he says. 鈥淚 wrote down exactly what she did and how she did it.鈥 For Diboun, tagine is a comfort dish for social occasions. 鈥淵ou can share tagine with one person or a whole family,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the quintessential Moroccan dish.鈥

How to Make Tagine

鈥淚t鈥檚 all about the seasoning,鈥 says Diboun. Like his grandmother taught him, he recommends using Ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice mix of cardamom, turmeric, nutmeg, allspice, cumin, and cinnamon. Different blends range from 40 to 100 ingredients.

Timing plays an important role, too, in terms of cooking the vegetables and the meat, if you鈥檙e going with a traditional recipe. Since Diboun is a vegan, he substitutes meat for chickpeas or tempeh.

鈥淚 use fermented tempeh patties diced up into chunks,鈥 he says. 鈥淎nd I鈥檒l use that as a substitute for lamb or chicken.鈥

Recipe: Vegetarian Moroccan Endurance Tagine

Vegetable tagine, typical dish of Moroccan food. Contains tomato, chickpeas and other vegetables.
(Photo: Getty)

Ingredients

Serves: 4 people

  • 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 1 Tbsp. of tomato paste
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 1 cup (240 mL) vegetable broth
  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1 can (400g) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 3 cups tempeh, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste
  • 1 can (500g) crushed tomatoes
  • 95g dried dates, chopped
  • 1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley or cilantro leaves and stems, chopped (about 10 鈥 15 grams)
  • 300g of couscous, cooked

Spice Mix

  • 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
  • 1 Tbsp. harissa
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 陆 tsp. ground cumin
  • 陆 tsp. ground turmeric
  • 陆 tsp. ground ginger
  • A pinch of saffron

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350潞F/175潞C. Arrange an oven rack to fit a tagine (or dutch oven, if you don鈥檛 have access to a tagine).
  2. Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the tagine over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and season with a pinch of salt. Cook until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes, adding a splash of water as needed to deglaze the pan and prevent the onions from burning.
  3. Meanwhile, stir together the spices for the Spice Mix. After the onions are cooked, add the garlic and spice mix. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add splashes of water to deglaze the tagine and avoid drying out the onions.
  4. Add the tomato sauce and incorporate with the onions for a minute or two. Turn off the heat and add the red bell pepper, carrot, zucchini, sweet potato, tempeh, and chickpeas to the tagine followed by the vegetable broth (or water in a pinch). Do not overfill the tagine, otherwise it will overflow when the lid is put on. Top with salt and a glug of olive oil.
  5. Transfer to the oven. Bake for 60 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes, zucchini, and carrot are tender.
  6. When the sweet potatoes are tender, remove the tagine from the oven. Mix in the chopped dates, parsley or cilantro, lemon zest, and leave lemon rinds on top of the tagine. Cover and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, make the couscous following package instructions.
  8. Serve in bowls topped with extra chopped parsley or cilantro, chopped dates, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

The post This North African Stew Is Straight Endurance Fuel appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
Should You Be Using Quail Eggs in Your Morning Omelet? /food/food-culture/should-you-be-using-quail-eggs-in-your-morning-omelet/ Wed, 23 Aug 2023 15:47:54 +0000 /?p=2643523 Should You Be Using Quail Eggs in Your Morning Omelet?

These tiny speckled eggs pack a powerful punch of nutrients, but is it worth making the swap?

The post Should You Be Using Quail Eggs in Your Morning Omelet? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
Should You Be Using Quail Eggs in Your Morning Omelet?

them Food for thought: the average American 鈥 that鈥檚 a lot of omelets. What this data omits, however, is what kind of eggs Americans ate. There鈥檚 a type that deserves recognition for its taste and nutritional value: quail eggs. You might not have tried them before, but these tiny powerhouses might merit a spot in your protein-packed breakfast.

The Nutritional Breakdown

Quail eggs are about a fifth of the size of chicken eggs with brown speckles dotting the shell. Approximately (weighing in at 9g each) equate to a , which weighs 50g. Although a single quail egg contains just 14 calories, it鈥檚 a surprisingly nutrient-dense food, thanks to its proportionally large yolk. Their yolks about half of their weight while chicken egg yolks make . For this reason, bite for bite, quail eggs contain more ,, and riboflavin. Bigger yolk, more vitamins!聽

In the same breath, the larger yolk also means that there鈥檚 more cholesterol in quail eggs (76mg per egg) versus chicken eggs (165mg per egg). And since five quail eggs equates to the same volume as a single chicken egg, that 76mg adds up to 380mg. It鈥檚 a big number, right? Well, the cholesterol in both eggs is high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or as some people call it, 鈥済ood cholesterol.鈥 , HDL gets the “good” cholesterol label because it supposedly helps remove other forms of cholesterol from your bloodstream.聽

However, this claim has been contested by a that challenges 鈥済ood鈥 cholesterol鈥檚 benefits. The research found that HDL cholesterol doesn鈥檛 always mean lower risk of cardiovascular disease, which was once thought to be factual. More research needs to be done on the topic to confirm HDL cholesterol鈥檚 role in our health; talk to your doctor if you aren鈥檛 sure how much cholesterol is right for your diet.

Quail eggs

Cooking with Quail Eggs聽

Quail and chicken eggs taste similar, with one distinction.聽

鈥淨uail eggs are creamier and luscious,鈥 says Beth Lipton, a cookbook author and health coach. 鈥淚n terms of comparing chicken and quail eggs鈥 flavor, it depends somewhat on what kind of chicken eggs you鈥檙e used to eating. If you eat pastured eggs, you might be accustomed to a slightly earthier or grassier taste than conventionally-raised eggs. Quail eggs have that same quality.鈥

A quail egg鈥檚 large yolk creates a creamy, rich flavor that can be described as smoother and milder than chicken eggs.聽

Recipe developer Kathleen Higashiyama says, besides the yolk size, one of the biggest differences between cooking quail and chicken eggs is timing.

鈥淭he small size聽impacts the cook time more than the size of the yolk,鈥 she says. 鈥淪oft-boiled quail eggs only take a couple of minutes to cook for silky whites and jammy yolks, versus 6-7 minutes for a chicken egg.鈥澛

Yolks aren鈥檛 the only tricky part t. Their shells can be tough to crack.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e brittle on the outside, so they can shatter,鈥 Lipton says. 鈥淏ut the membrane inside the shell is more flexible than a chicken egg, so you can鈥檛 simply crack quail eggs the way you do chicken eggs.

She suggests using the tip of a sharp knife to pierce the top, or slice it off with a small serrated knife or purchase a pair of quail egg scissors to more easily handle the softer shell, says Lipton. These scissors have a side to hold the egg securely in place, and another side to accurately snip the top of the shell off, leaving the yolk undisturbed.聽

Use the five-to-one ratio when a recipe calls for a chicken egg and you want to use quail. However, given that quail eggs are more expensive and less available than chicken eggs, you might want to save using them in recipes where their rich, creamy flavor will be featured. For instance, in homemade mayonnaise, custard, hollandaise, and meringue. Also, their bite-size nature of quail eggs makes them great stand-alone appetizers.聽

Aaron Oosterhoff, owner of Spring Creek Quail Farms in Saint Anns, Ontario, is one of the biggest proponents of quail eggs. He started working on his family farmwhen he was 14, and has slowly been working to make 聽affordable and accessible. He remembers, at 27,聽 first pitching them to retail stores and being met with skepticism.

鈥淭hey were like, 鈥榃丑测? Who eats these?鈥欌 Oosterhoff says.聽聽

Tunes changed, however, and there are now Spring Creek quail eggs in 2,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. Today, Oosterhoff runs Spring Creek and is determined to do away with the idea that they are associated with the likes of caviar 鈥 culinary delicacies that you鈥檇 have to splurge on to enjoy.

鈥淚 think the problem with the quail egg is that most people don鈥檛 know where to buy it,鈥 he says. 鈥淢y personal mission is to see them on grocery store shelves across North America.鈥

The post Should You Be Using Quail Eggs in Your Morning Omelet? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
This Olympian Runner鈥檚 Go-To Endurance Salad Couldn鈥檛 Be Easier /running/news/olympian-endurance-salad-recipe/ Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:37:19 +0000 /?p=2639380 This Olympian Runner鈥檚 Go-To Endurance Salad Couldn鈥檛 Be Easier

There鈥檚 nothing difficult about this nutrient-dense green recipe to keep the immune system strong and recovery speedy

The post This Olympian Runner鈥檚 Go-To Endurance Salad Couldn鈥檛 Be Easier appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
This Olympian Runner鈥檚 Go-To Endurance Salad Couldn鈥檛 Be Easier

For me, salads have always been the culinary equivalent of a sad trombone. I鈥檓 active. I want something warm and hearty after a hard effort, not the stuff you give the class gerbil in elementary school. This, I know, is a wildly outdated characterization of salads, if not a surprising one coming from a vegetarian.聽

But I live in Germany, where there are a lot of rules, and a lot of exceptions to those rules. My exception for salads is the Israeli salad, usually defined as a chopped salad with diced tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers topped with a light, lemon-based vinaigrette. Simple, right? A recent trip to Israel coupled with a chat with none other than Olympian runner helped me change my perspective.

A view of Israeli salad (cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs) in a white bowl.
(Photo: Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Israeli Salads, Twice a Day

Tiyouri is a wildly accomplished Israeli Olympic long-distance runner. Over the course of her career, she鈥檚 held the national record in the 5,000-meter run and is a three-time national champion. So it鈥檚 fair to wonder: what鈥檚 fueling these impressive performances?

Although she doesn鈥檛 credit one dish to her success, she鈥檚 quick to mention the Israeli salad. Tiyouri describes it as a staple of her diet; something she eats twice a day. But that wasn鈥檛 always the case.聽

Tiyouri admits that she slacked off on the salads. Then her nutritionist, Tamar Ashlagi, told her in plain medical terms: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e Israeli! You have to eat salad every day. Where are your Israeli roots?鈥 Ashlagi is the nutritionist for the Israeli Olympic windsurfing, sailing, and long-distance running teams. She encourages everyone to eat salads, which she says are an important component of the Israeli and Mediterranean diet.

RELATED: Eating These Foods May Help with Seasonal Allergies

鈥淚n Israel, there is a large, readily available variety of vegetables, and they are relatively cheap. There are a lot of possibilities for preparing a salad using seasonal vegetables,鈥 she explained. 鈥淭he salads can be simple and don鈥檛 require too much time to prepare, making them readily available even for tired or busy individuals.鈥

Of course, it鈥檚 not just about their simplicity. Salads are fundamentally good fuel for long-distance runners. 鈥淭he high fiber content is beneficial for the gut microbiome and digestion,鈥 she said.聽

Introducing more salads into Tiyorui鈥檚 diet wasn鈥檛 just about honoring her Israeli roots. A veggie-rich, nutrient-dense salad full of fiber like the Israeli salad is a welcome addition to any runner鈥檚 diet.

鈥淚sraeli salads contain multiple types of vegetables and are usually seasoned lightly with olive oil, which is beneficial for the cardiovascular system,鈥 Ashlagi explained. 鈥淚t is common knowledge that every vegetable has different nutritional values. Therefore, the more colorful the salad is, the more nutritious it is.鈥

A colorful salad usually means more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are known to be anti-inflammatory. In other words, Israeli salads can play a nutritional role in an endurance athlete鈥檚 recovery and combating free radicals, not to mention the high fiber content helps regulate blood sugar.

That said, this doesn鈥檛 mean you should start stuffing your face with salads every chance you get. 鈥淎thletes should be aware that eating a salad close to training or competition is not a good idea because of the high fiber content that can cause gut discomfort due to slow digestion,鈥 Ashlagi explains.聽

For Tiyouri, Israeli salads come with a bonus benefit. It鈥檚 a taste of home for the 32-year-old, now based in Boulder, Colorado.

鈥淲hen I miss home, I want to make it,鈥 she says. Now it鈥檚 part of her morning routine. She鈥檒l cut up some tomatoes, cucumbers, and top it with olive oil, lemon, salt, and pepper. 鈥淚 usually do that in the morning, after a workout and with dinner,鈥 she says.

Tiyouri isn鈥檛 rigid with her Israeli salads. As long as it has tomatoes and cucumber, she welcomes some greens (spinach, arugula) and additional veggies (radishes, red bell pepper), even Israeli feta cheese if she can get her hands on some. It all depends on what she has available in her fridge, what鈥檚 in season, and frankly, what she needs to eat before it spoils. 鈥淪ometimes I just want to throw everything in there,鈥 she says.

RELATED:

Recipe: Israeli Endurance Greens

This just might be the easiest dish to make . At minimum, all you need is a cucumber, some grape tomatoes, olive oil, lemon, salt, and a knife to make it all happen.

But we鈥檙e not about doing the bare minimum. For this recipe, we鈥檙e adding some color鈥攃hopped red bell pepper and a carrot along with some of Tiyouri鈥檚 favorite bonus regional ingredients, feta cheese and cilantro.

This recipe also adds chopped dates. Why dates? Because they come up time and time again when you ask Israeli athletes about some of their favorite endurance snacks. They grow well in Israel where the temperatures can crawl above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and can be eaten directly from the tree.

Nutritionally speaking, Ashlagi notes that dates are a good source of carbohydrates, glucose, and fructose鈥攎aking them a quick and optimal source of quick energy for exercise.

鈥淒ates can serve as a replacement for around two energy gels,鈥 she explained. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a great snack if you desire something sweet, if consumed moderately.鈥

Within the Israeli salad, dates offer a sweetness to balance out the saltiness of the feta.

You can adjust the quantities in this recipe as you like. And like Tiyouri, feel free to add an extra veggie or swap some out for your favorite vegetables. Not only will she throw in a radish from time to time, she might cut up some avocado or toss in some corn. Put in whatever ingredients are going to make you excited about having this salad. Below is a recipe to get you started.

RELATED:

Ingredients

Serves: 2 people

  • 1 small cucumber, diced
  • 150 grams grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1 small red onion, minced
  • 1 small carrot, chopped
  • 陆 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 50g dried dates (about six dates), chopped
  • 15 grams fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 30ml or 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • Lemon juice from 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, more to taste
  • 85g (about 1/2 cup) Israeli feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1) Halve your cucumber and slice each half lengthwise into four slices. Hold the slices together like a bouquet and chop them into small pieces. Add them to a medium-sized mixing bowl.

2) Halve the tomatoes and add them to the bowl along with the red bell pepper, carrot, dried dates, and finely chopped cilantro.

3) Soak minced red onion in lemon juice and set aside.

4) Cube the feta cheese or crumble it directly into the bowl with your hands. Add the kosher salt, black pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice with onions. Mix thoroughly until the salad is well coated and serve.

The post This Olympian Runner鈥檚 Go-To Endurance Salad Couldn鈥檛 Be Easier appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
This Lithuanian Dumpling Recipe Is an Ultrarunner鈥檚 Dream /recipes/this-lithuanian-dumpling-recipe-is-an-ultrarunners-dream/ Mon, 24 Apr 2023 19:16:26 +0000 /?post_type=recipe&p=2627773 This Lithuanian Dumpling Recipe Is an Ultrarunner鈥檚 Dream

Strong stomachs win ultras, says Gediminas Grinius, Lithuania鈥檚 highest performing ultrarunner, thanks to loads of training, carbs, and fermented foods

The post This Lithuanian Dumpling Recipe Is an Ultrarunner鈥檚 Dream appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>
This Lithuanian Dumpling Recipe Is an Ultrarunner鈥檚 Dream

This article was originally published on .

Lithuania is not what comes to mind when trail runners think of ultra running. Auk拧tojas Hill is the highest point in the country, coming in at a whopping elevation of 964 feet.

Nonetheless, one of the world鈥檚 strongest professional trail runners hails from this Baltic nation of 2.8 million鈥擥ediminas Grinius.聽聽former military officer who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan before finding the sport and becoming one of the best in the world, securing a third place finish at UTMB Thailand last December.

Grinius believes his strongest muscle is between his ears. In fact, he recently spoke in Japan, sharing some of his tricks to stay mentally tough, and he鈥檒l return again this June to run the聽. But just as聽, Grinius points to聽聽as key aspects of his diet throughout his life and career, like homemade dark rye bread, fermented cabbage, and cepelinai鈥攁 large potato dumpling served with sour cream.

I caught up with Grinius in Thailand, fresh off his win at the Amazean Jungle Thailand鈥檚 Betong 100, to learn more about how traditional Lithuanian cuisine has helped fuel his record-breaking performances, like his run at the聽.

(Photo: Gintare Grine)

Potatoes and Carbs

Grinius is always thinking about carbs when it comes to fueling his body for training and races. For him, that means potatoes.

鈥淧otatoes are a good source of carbs,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 a聽huge fan聽of potatoes.鈥

In fact, he fondly recalls walking two miles back-and-forth to school as a kid. It wasn鈥檛 necessarily the walk that brought a smile to his face, but rather the promise of fried potatoes from his grandmother to help load him up for the long walk every day.

鈥淣ow that I鈥檓 training, I鈥檓 doing pretty much the same thing,鈥 he said. Indeed, he ate cepelinai during a carb load the day before his Baltic Cup 100 run in 2013. 鈥淰ariety comes just from the dishes, but basically, the nutrition is the same.鈥

Head to the Halle Market in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital tucked in the southeastern corner, near the Belarusian border, and here you鈥檒l find cepelinai stuffed with ground meat and topped with bits of bacon. But Grinius, a vegetarian, opts instead for the cottage cheese filling (also an excellent source of protein, with roughly 28 grams per serving).

鈥淵ou need the carbs during a hard training session,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I鈥檓 [eating] it a lot.鈥

That said, it鈥檚 the sour cream and onions on top that bring the dish together. Grinius doesn鈥檛 see these adding much significant nutritional value, for a trail runner, but as he puts it, 鈥淚t gives a great taste.鈥

Building a Strong Stomach

For Grinius, perhaps even more essential for his diet are pickles and how they benefit his gut microbiome. Matthew Kadey is a registered dietician and food writer who often writes about the intersection of nutrition and performance. He recently did a deep dive on聽听蹿辞谤听罢谤颈补迟丑濒别迟别.

鈥淎s scientists discover more about the microorganisms in your body, they鈥檙e uncovering important information about how influential it could be to athletes,鈥 he wrote. 鈥淎s it turns out, the balance of bacteria inside of you can have just as much impact on health and performance鈥攊f not more鈥攖han your genetics.鈥

Grinius couldn鈥檛 agree more.

鈥淯ltras are won by the guys with the strongest stomachs,鈥 Grinius told me. That means incorporating fermented foods into his diet, like pickled cucumbers, fermented cabbage, and kefir鈥攁 fermented milk that resembles thin yogurt.聽鈥淲e have a lot of cabbage in Lithuania,鈥 said Grinius. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a great source of nutrition during the wintertime.鈥

When he was a kid, Grinius would help his parents collect fresh cabbage and chop them up. They鈥檇 then stuff the cabbage into a jar and press it with their fist to help release the water in the cabbage until it was completely covered, so the cabbage could begin fermenting.

Grinius didn鈥檛 necessarily turn to fermented foods to improve his performance, and he doesn鈥檛 make a point of eating pickles for a specific meal or during a certain point of his training. They鈥檝e just always been part of his life, since those early days growing up in Lithuania. It鈥檚 just what he naturally craves. He compares it to sugar. The more sugar you eat, the more your brain sends signals that you crave sugar. And for him, that鈥檚 pickles. Of course, it doesn鈥檛 hurt that he knows that they鈥檙e good for him and potentially keeps his stomach settled during those long runs in the jungle.

鈥淩unning is more or less about continuity,鈥 he said. 鈥淭o be able to do it continuously, you need to stay healthy. This is why these foods are so important in my daily life and daily routine. They provide the necessary health benefits so I can do what I love to do and run each and every day.鈥

lithuanian endurance foods
(Photo: Gintare Grine)

Timing is Everything

It鈥檚 been a while since Grinius made cepelinai on his own. These days, he relies on his wife and mother-in-law, who he calls a 鈥渟pecialist,鈥 when it comes to making cepelinai. But that doesn鈥檛 mean he doesn鈥檛 know how it鈥檚 done.

鈥淭he timing is super important,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f [the cepelinai] is boiled too long, it becomes very soft and loses its shape.鈥

He also advises paying attention to the proportion between boiled potatoes and raw potatoes used when making cepelinai (I found about a third of your potatoes should be boiled). Finding the right balance gives the dish a silkier texture.

Before he shares his wife鈥檚 recipe (the same used by his mother), Grinius offers one last tip:

鈥淚n Lithuania, you usually find home-grown potatoes that make the best cepelinas. You need to buy your potatoes in Lithuania.鈥

Lithuanian Cepelinai
(Photo: Joe Baur)

Recipe: Lithuanian Cepelinai

The post This Lithuanian Dumpling Recipe Is an Ultrarunner鈥檚 Dream appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

]]>