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Water

Topics related to water for health continue to be at the top of important sections on various websites about health, cooking, sports. For the guests of our culinary website, we have prepared interesting facts, facts from history, current information about the quality of water, methods of its storage and many interesting things in addition. At the beginning, we will introduce a general definition of the concept of "water" so that we understand each other as we read the article. Water is considered in the article as the most common compound from the periodic table on the planet.

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Water photo

History of the appearance of water

Let’s start with the history of the Earth: did you know that water appeared over 3 billion years ago? And billions of years later, water became part of the ecosystem where a unique event occurred – the origin of life. This is interesting, but what about cooking? Let us introduce you to the history of water in the gastronomic world of different periods.

 

Water and the primitive world. We remember such facts that people lived in caves, hunted and stayed in place. It is incredible, but true – people knew how to boil water after mastering fire. This is similar to the preparation of the simplest broth: first boil the water, and then put the base for the broth.

 

Water and world. Since the time of Ancient Rome, the citizen’s diet has included: porridge and soup, most often on water. During a meal, usually at lunch, these dishes were served, adding fat during the cooking process for richness.

 

In the Middle East, flatbreads were often made from bread crumbs and water. At the beginning of the Middle Ages, “kvass” was popular in this large territory, or more precisely, people began to mix barley, wheat and water. It was not alcoholic, as in Egypt, but was a hearty thick drink.

 

In India, a dish called thali has been in use for many millennia. What is so special about it? Because the Indians cooked rice and had different techniques for cooking rice, they also used simple flatbreads made from cereals and water. When visiting India at the beginning of the Middle Ages, any foreigner could see how they sold already cooked rice and ready-made flatbreads on the streets. Reminds me of street food where they sold rice cooked with different flavors using water.

 

 

Water history

 

 

Water and the world in the Middle Ages. Recipes were already divided into different categories depending on the wealth of the person. For example, spices after the discovery of India could be afforded by kings and feudal lords. Therefore, we will pay special attention to the history of drinks – in the Middle Ages there was a kind of “boom” in the drinking culture of different countries.

 

In many countries of that time, the water resource in places where people lived was of poor quality. Impurities from various waste from human activities often got into water bodies.

 

But people did not despair, they began to popularize drinks from different regions of the world: ale was especially popular, beer and cider were brewed. Rich people could afford wine diluted with water – ipocras (wine with spices and herbs), bragot (beer with spices), perry (pear cider).

 

Cookbooks have come down to us, where we found recipes, for example, for “barley tincture” – barley was soaked in hot water, “sage water” – sage was poured with water and covered overnight.

 

But among the Slavs, water itself could become a drink, and not become an additional ingredient. We have received “recipes” for water. Does it sound unconvincing? We understand, and therefore we will give you the surviving excerpts “on the preparation” of water.

 

How to get lingonberry water? You need to pour lingonberries with water, leave for the winter. In the spring, by April, drain the infused water, add fresh water and honey to taste. In addition, even among foreigners, berry fruit drinks, apple and honey kvass were famous.

 

To summarize, we can say that since the Middle Ages, water ceased to be an addition to a dish or drink. Recipes appear in cookbooks about types of water, about drinks where water is necessary in the preparation. In the 19th century and to this day, water has become part of the daily diet of all classes, the question was its quality and the state of the sources from which it was taken. Therefore, we will now move on to modern times in order to highlight relevant facts for our housewives that may be useful in the household.

Benefits and harms of water

The most important benefit of H2O is its availability. It is a vital resource for people. In cooking, it is an irreplaceable base for first courses, in baking. And what is the benefit in general?

 

 

benefits of water

 

 

✅ An example of the benefits of water for the entire human body is the work of the excretory systems, when the liquid absorbs toxins and waste.

 

✅ In addition, the amount of liquid directly affects body temperature through sweat glands. This partly helps our body not to overheat.

 

✅ And no less important – blood thinning, reducing the possibility of blood clots, and reducing the risk of stroke.

 

What harm can water cause?

 

 

Water is harmful

 

 

❌ The quality of water that is poorly filtered from chlorine compounds, heavy metals, impurities, and salts is more harmful to the body. Which often leads to the formation of kidney and gallstones. Drinking two liters of chlorinated water daily can irritate the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines. Which, in turn, can lead to gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, buying a cooler or filters is an excellent and safe option. A more expensive and labor-intensive option is a water purification system from a pipeline.

 

We would like to draw the attention of housewives to the fact that the condition and quality of water is important not only for the taste of the dish, but also for the health of the family.

What does water taste like?

Water has no taste, but our housewives know exactly what kind of water should not be used for cooking. For example, rusty, chlorinated tap water, with dirt.

How to use water

👉 Cooking. In this section, we would like to present one of the healthy dishes, namely vegetable broth. Do not rush to add a lot of salt, pepper and cubes. Try different recipes with dried mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, celery, daikon and the like. Meat broth is very often cooked in Russian kitchens, but vegetable broth is no less rich. Feel free to experiment, enrich the taste of first courses.

 

👉 Water for treatment. Here we will focus specifically on healing water, or more precisely mineral water. Already in the ancient world, the people of Babylon and Egypt described its properties as “healing power granted by the gods.” It was used in medicine when people complained of pain in the abdominal cavity (gastrointestinal tract, liver) and in the lumbar region (kidneys). And the first prototypes of sanatoriums with treatment services appeared in Ancient Greece – special baths with a certain temperature regime to maintain the “healing” steam.

 

Today, Russia is one of the countries where healing water continues to be used for treatment. For example, in the sanatoriums of Bashkortostan near water bodies, different sanatoriums offer their own treatment program. And in every pharmacy and any large store there are well-known brands of mineral water for drinking during a cold, gastritis.

Doctors, nutritionists, fitness trainers advise drinking 2 liters of water a day – this is no secret. Therefore, we want to give several recommendations that will help you more effectively include plenty of fluids in your diet:

 

  • You should not drink in large gulps until you feel sick. The recommended volume is two liters per day, but everyone may have their own norm prescribed by a doctor. Take the permitted volume and divide it during the day;
  • Start the morning with warm water. Warm water, this stimulates the proper functioning of the gallbladder. Then you can start your morning rituals to let the water disperse throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Do not add citrus juice to the first dose of water – this will irritate the gastric mucosa;
  • Record in the app/notebook, as you prefer, the intervals of intake, the amount of liquid drunk.

How and how long to store water

Water can go bad – an unpleasant fact. Therefore, in this article we have collected for you relevant information on the preservation of valuable, useful, saturated liquid.

 

Distilled. Probably, in the world it is considered as the cleanest water for drinking. We will not argue with this opinion, but we want to tell you about the peculiarity of storing this type.

 

The most favorable environment for long-term storage is a cold or cool, dark place. The most important thing is to close the container again after the first opening of the lid, but tightly, so that air does not enter. Water can absorb carbon dioxide from the air, increasing the level of acidity and impurities from cheap plastic. A container made of high-density polyethylene is suitable for distilled water.

 

Interesting fact: ice cubes made from such water are more transparent, since when stored properly, the water does not contain impurities from the environment.

 

 

Water storage

 

 

Tap water. In its normal form, without filtration, water absorbs chlorine. If it stagnates for a long time in any type of container, the level of carbon dioxide from the air will begin to increase, H2O will come into contact with the container material. If tap water stands for a day or more, its taste will deteriorate, the taste of impurities will come to the fore. Such a liquid should be used for watering houseplants.

 

It is better to pour tap water into a personal mug in which the paint does not peel off, there are no stains of coffee or tea. Drink it right away, the taste will be richer, you will quench your thirst. If you poured tap water into a bottle, it is important to drink it within 5-7 hours, without placing the bottle in direct sunlight.

 

Bottled water from a store/pharmacy. Drinking water that has been in contact with air, with a broken seal, is suitable for drinking within 24 hours. If you put it in a cold place without sunlight, then the water is suitable for drinking for up to three days.

 

Let’s talk separately about frozen water, that is, ice. Now you can buy ready-to-use ice packs, so we will list ways to preserve ice suitable for food or drinks in different conditions:

 

👉 You can pour water into a container and put it in the freezer. After freezing, wrap the ice in aluminum foil to keep it cold. Then you can store such ice in the refrigerator or during a power outage.

 

👉 You can take ice on a picnic or on the road. A regular bucket is enough, put aluminum foil inside the space, fill it with ice, wrap it in several layers of towels, transport or store in a dark place.

Curious facts

  • Even the Cro-Magnons boiled water when cooking meat.
  • In Ancient Greece, it was water in winemaking that separated the Greeks from the so-called “barbarians”.
  • In the Middle Ages, people were afraid to drink water, but they did not understand that it was their own activities that were poisoning it.