Page 26 - Sonoma County Gazette November 2018

By Ron Skaar
1st century Roman naturalist, writer and gourmand Pliny the Elder was first
Can it Happen Again?
100 years since the 1918 Flu Pandemic
The peak flu activity in the US usually runs November to April. With the season right around the corner, discussions about prevention and risk arise again. Most persons who contract influenza will recover without any long- lasting problems. However, influenza can cause serious illness and death, particularly among older adults, young children, pregnant women, and those with certain medical conditions. Recent estimates claim that 80,000 Americans died during the 2017-2018 season from influenza. Medical organizations recommend routine annual influenza vaccination for all persons aged ≥6 months that do not have contraindications.
to recognize the value of cauliflower. Cyma, the earliest version of cauliflower, was “of all the varieties of cabbage the most pleasing-tasted” he wrote in “Natural History”.
Cauliflower is believed to have originated, just shortly before Pliny’s time, in Asia Minor and the Mediterranean. The vegetable is found in the writings of 12th century Arab botanists, with its origin said to be Cyprus.
Introduced from Genoa to France in the 16th century, cauliflower gradually made its way west to other parts of Europe, by the early 17th century. This delicate vegetable, the French called chouxfleurs, soon held an honorable place in the royal garden.
Follow the weekly Influenza surveillance updates: cdc.gov/flu/weekly/
La Varenne, chef to Henri IV and France’s first culinary writer, included cauliflower recipes in his opus, “Le cuisine francois”. But the new vegetable did not appear regularly on grand tables until the time of Henri’s grandson, the “Sun King”, Louis XIV.
Flu Pandemics One hundred years ago, there was an extremely deadly outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1), “Spanish Flu.” Exact numbers are unknown, but estimates suggest that over 50 million people died, about 5% of the world’s total population. This epidemic killed between 2-20% of the people infected, and it was particularly lethal in younger, healthy people.
Its introduction to the United States was surprisingly recent. Cauliflower was not cultivated for commercial purposes in this country until the 1920s. Now there are eighty North American varieties and many different cultivars of white cauliflower grown.
More recent influenza A pandemics (like the 1968 Hong Kong flu) have not been as devastating as that in 1918, but even these smaller outbreaks killed millions of people. In 1918, most of the deaths were from secondary pneumonia. More recently, the availability of antibiotics probably prevented the extreme loss of life.
There are also some variants in color and appearance available at the farmers market and grocery outlet. Broccoflower contains the physical features of cauliflower with the chlorophyll of broccoli, but tastes a bit more like cauliflower.
These particularly dangerous influenza A viruses become so lethal due to a genetic mutation that makes them not currently recognizable to the human immune system. Novel influenza A viruses are particularly worrisome because they can gain the ability to spread from person-to-person easily, thus triggering a pandemic. Since pandemic strains have not been seen before
and are due to mutations, existing vaccines may be only tangentially helpful. Public Health agencies do have some other preventive measures to address
a pandemic should one arrive, and they practice coordinated responses to outbreaks on the county level.
Color varieties include the orange or “Cheddar” cauliflower which originated from a natural mutant found in a Canadian field. The purple type, which unfortunately loses its color during cooking, contains the same dark anthocyanins found in red cabbage and red wine.
Broccoli and Cauliflower could be the most important edible flowers in the West. They are immature flower structures and their support tissues are eaten before they have a chance to mature. These edible parts of the cauliflower are called the “curd”.
Like broccoli, cabbage, and it’s other cousins, cauliflower is a reservoir
of phytochemicals, which are linked to a reduced risk of cancer and DNA damage. They contain isothiocyanates and insoles, helping to detoxify cancer- causing agents and impede tumor development.
For nfo on pandemic flu: cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/basics/faq.html
Boiling reduces these compounds while steaming, stir-frying, oven roasting or even microwaving have less adverse effect on these compounds. Versatile cauliflower is now used to make rice, pasta, bread and pizza dough! And the fantastic hors d’oeuvre included here.
Prevention and Treatment: Symptoms of flu are well-known to most of us: signs of upper and/or lower respiratory tract infection, non-specific fevers, headaches, myalgias, and weakness.
CAULIFLOWER WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO
Getting the vaccine before the season starts is a good idea, since it takes about two weeks for immunity to get established. The vaccines are widely available at this point through pharmacies and medical offices. Given the fact that the virus changes each year, the recommendation is to get a shot of the current vaccine every autumn. The mix of antigens in the vaccine is based
on predictions from the previous year and from monitoring disease during winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The injectable vaccine is not living (it contains a piece of the outer protein coat of the virus which triggers the immune response) so people do not actually catch the flu from the shot. They may get some of the inflammatory symptoms like muscle aches and mild fever, which are due to the immune response to the antigen, not to actually getting the infection. The inhaled nasal vaccine was alive but has been altered, and it is thought to be unable to cause the disease as well.
1 small head cauliflower
2 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
20 slices prosciutto
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Trim base of cauliflower and cut
For prevention, taking some basic steps like regular handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes with a sleeve or a tissue, and staying home when people are sick can all be very helpful.
in half. Cut half’s into 1 inch thick slices, then cut the slices into 2 or 3 bite size pieces. Blanch the cauliflower until nearly tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
Treatment with antivirals (oseltamivir or zanamivir) is usually reserved for people who are hospitalized, severely ill, or at higher risk for complications. They are usually most effective if started within 2 days of the onset of symptoms. Treatment won’t stop the disease, but it may shorten it and lessen the severity. INFO: cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ Influenza.asp x
Mix tomato paste, white wine and black pepper. Spread 1 teaspoon onto side of each piece of cauliflower and then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of Parmesan. Gently wrap a prosciutto slice around each piece of cauliflower, press lightly to secure (tomato paste mix is sticky).
Heat 2 tablespoons in large skillet and, over medium heat, working in batches, add cauliflower to cook until prosciutto is crisp and golden, 3-4 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining wraps, cool slightly and serve. 10-12 appetizers.
Conclusions: Hopefully, we will avoid a serious outbreak on this year
of the 100th anniversary of the “Spanish Flu.” Vaccines are really the most effective approach, and getting your annual flu shot continues to be the primary recommendation. If the pandemic flu erupts, the Centers for Disease Control will be working hard to quickly develop and distribute an effective vaccine in order to prevent the spread of this potentially devastating virus.
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