A few days ago, Majda and I have organized a Yummy Tea Time and Discovery of the 6 tastes according to Ayurveda. It was a special event to make people discover our vegetarian healthy food and the ayurvedic approach to nutrition. The idea was quite simple: make the attendees identify the 6 tastes that Ayurveda speaks about - sweet, salted, sour, pungent, bitter, astringent -, by tasting some delicacies especially designed for this event. It was such an opportunity for us to let our creativity flows!
To illustrate the sweet taste, we prepared these little energy balls made of dried apricots and coconut powder. These little sweets are the perfect snack to give you an energy boost during a long working day. Apricots bring a slight and soft sweet taste and a smoothness that we usually don’t find in this type of balls, which are generally made of dried raisins or dates.
The combination with coconut is to us – and the participants agreed too! – a real success.
If you are not convinced yet, the easy instructions below and the few ingredients needed should help to make your mind!
To illustrate the sweet taste, we prepared these little energy balls made of dried apricots and coconut powder. These little sweets are the perfect snack to give you an energy boost during a long working day. Apricots bring a slight and soft sweet taste and a smoothness that we usually don’t find in this type of balls, which are generally made of dried raisins or dates.
The combination with coconut is to us – and the participants agreed too! – a real success.
If you are not convinced yet, the easy instructions below and the few ingredients needed should help to make your mind!
Apricoco Balls
Makes approx. 20 balls
| 165 g dried apricots 125 g shelled almonds 80 g coconut powder + 20g for coating ½ tsp cinnamon powder 1 tbsp coconut oil (optional) | In a food processor, first grind the almonds to a powder. Then add the other ingredients. Mix. Make beautiful round balls. Roll the balls in the spared coconut powder. Keep in the fridge. Remove just before serving. |
What does Ayurveda say about it?
The sweet taste is related to certain functions in our body: it develops and regenerates tissues, increases body fluids, blood, muscle, fat, bones and nervous tissues, it gives strength and energy, and it boosts immunity, growth and reproduction. In Ayurveda, we also say that the sweet taste is emotionally linked to love and comfort. It is interesting to draw a parallel with our current society where much of the population is addicted to sugar. Why do we need as much sugar? To give us the energy to deal with all the constraints and activities of our busy lives? To bring us comfort, a small loophole in our stressful routine? Or to fill our lack of love?
Today's society puts a lot of barriers and space between people and relationships, even within families. Despite the fact that we live surrounded, many people feel deeply alone, experience a lack of love from others but also towards themselves. I think this is the major reason for this addiction to sugar. Our brain activity certainly needs it, but in normal amounts, given the fact that most people do not have a physical activity requiring a really important intake. Thus, how to manage cravings for sugar to give us a little love feeling in a more balanced way?
In Ayurveda, there are various ways to work on the emotional hunger and the recognition of real hunger. Here, we simply wanted to create a healthy snack, both energizing and comforting, which can serve us as a breakfast, a snack after sport to give us energy, or for the 4pm break (for elders or youngers)... a little ball for our daily life!
This apricoco ball therefore combines simple and digestible ingredients to give us the energy shot we need while being easily assimilated by our body.
Today's society puts a lot of barriers and space between people and relationships, even within families. Despite the fact that we live surrounded, many people feel deeply alone, experience a lack of love from others but also towards themselves. I think this is the major reason for this addiction to sugar. Our brain activity certainly needs it, but in normal amounts, given the fact that most people do not have a physical activity requiring a really important intake. Thus, how to manage cravings for sugar to give us a little love feeling in a more balanced way?
In Ayurveda, there are various ways to work on the emotional hunger and the recognition of real hunger. Here, we simply wanted to create a healthy snack, both energizing and comforting, which can serve us as a breakfast, a snack after sport to give us energy, or for the 4pm break (for elders or youngers)... a little ball for our daily life!
This apricoco ball therefore combines simple and digestible ingredients to give us the energy shot we need while being easily assimilated by our body.
- Dried apricots are sweet in taste, heating and anabolic. They reduce Kapha and Vata (in reasonable quantities because of their dry quality) and can increase Pitta if too sour. One way to make it more digestible for Vata is to soak them for a few hours before. Their high fiber content makes them a general laxative. They are also very nutritive.
- Coconut is sweet, cooling and anabolic. It reduces Vata and Pitta but tends to increase Kapha. It has many benefits on our organism: tonic for the blood, liver, and brain, anti-inflammatory, antacid, and energizing.
- The almond powder made from blanched almonds is sweet, cooling and anabolic. It also decreases Vata and Pitta and like all nuts it increases Kapha (if consumed in large quantities). It is nourishing, laxative, tonic for muscle, brain, blood and skin, it fills our appetite and give us energy. Its high protein content makes it a food of choice for vegetarians (in moderation of course). Vegans love it for its richness in calcium and magnesium, which relaxes muscles, nourishes the bones and helps manage anemia problems. Finally, almonds are rich in fatty acids and Vitamin E which helps calm the nervous system and therefore to relax and de-stress.
Game to discover the 6 tastes for our special tea time