Torshi Seer: Food as Medicine
Life is hard; food doesn't have to be #143 [vol6, 6.2]
In Persian torshi seer means pickled garlic. I’ll explain more after the story.
The following I wrote in November 2019 and documented on Instagram.
The school nurse called Monday and said, "I'm not a doctor, but the other nurse here agrees that this is impetigo, a very contagious skin irritation and form of staph."
I’d noticed the sores before school but she was an anxious child who often couldn’t leave scabs alone.
After more conversation with the nurse, I hung up and asked Dr. Google. I'd never heard of the very common childhood malady. After seeing pictures online, I agreed with the nurse.
Immediately I called another naturally-minded mama. She said, "Don't play around with impetigo. It's very contagious. You need to get on this fast. Stay on it. It's like the plague and she can end up looking like a leper."
Gathering my remedies, I went to school. She was on the playground and met me with a huge sigh of relief. It had gotten worse in the few hours since she’d left home. She was embarrassed for so many to ask, "What's wrong with your face?"
In the car I gave her a clove of fermented garlic (torshi seer) then a tincture of liquid echinacea/goldenseal orally. Topically we applied a goldenseal salve. Then went for sushi. Food makes everything better.
We continued this regime. And didn't take the recommended antibiotics. Google says it can take 2-3 weeks to heal with antibiotics. These pictures are less than 3 days apart!
All's to say, natural remedies can work if you hit it hard at the beginning. And stay on top. It's not a one pill and done. It’s about supporting the whole body. You have to be armed with knowledge, have supplies on hand, and stay after it.
Of all the things, I think the torshi seer and topical goldenseal was the most helpful. She ate 3-4 big cloves of garlic a day.
Thankful for my like minded friends who cheer me on, when I feel insecure about "can I really fight this without a prescription?" Not only did we fight it but we came out on top! I also attribute this healing to the Lord answering our prayers for no scarring. And the fact that she has a strong immune system from zero prescriptions in her lifetime.
My Introduction to Torshi Seer
I fell in love with torshi seer when an Iranian friend trusted me with the first taste of a traditional food from her culture.
It's garlic that has been pickled in apple cider vinegar for at least 6 weeks. The Persians consider it medicine after 7 years. My friend's father had some that was 50 years old and would eat a taste at the start of each day. My Iranian friends eat it as a condiment with fish. I have enjoyed it in salad dressing or eating by the bulb when I'm sick.
What Does It Taste Like?
The flavor is unlike what you're probably imagining. It's soft and smooth in texture; the flavor is rich and buttery. The vinegar in these 2yo jars has become slightly more viscous and transformed from its original state.
How to Make It
To make your own, grab a quart of raw apple cider vinegar (32oz glass bottle, like Bragg’s or store brand, just make sure it’s raw). Add a tablespoon of quality sea salt then shake.
Fill a separate jar with garlic, preferably organic and local if you can find it. Keep the garlic in tact; don't remove the papers. The papers help hold the shape after years.
Then pour salty ACV over the garlic until all is submerged. Add a lid; if it’s metal be mindful that the vinegar could eventually corrode it. I prefer to add the start date somewhere, usually with a sharpie on a piece of tape. Hide the jar in a cool dark place, like a pantry or cabinet for at least 6 weeks. You can eat it after 6 weeks. The cloves will be crunchy then. The longer the cloves sit, the softer and more buttery the flavor.
When we succumb to stubborn illness, the torshi seer makes an appearance. Not everyone in my family appreciates the taste as I do. However, they all will eat their medicine!
How Often Do We Eat It?
Usually the torshi seer comes out of the medicine cabinet when the big bugs pull us down - the ones that keep us in bed a couple days. Or, if there’s an itchy throat or nagging cough.
Maybe I don’t have rhyme or reason when we take it. Ha!
I still have some torshi seer I made in 2017. After the impetigo scare in 2019 I made a couple more gallons. Save the dark vinegar! It can be reused for the next batch.
I grew garlic this year and plan to make some torshi seer soon (and was the prompting for this post!)
Garlic is a Spring Crop
Be on the lookout now for garlic at farmers market! Buy it when you see and and make some torshi seer for this fall when the cooties go crazy.
Many people also like to ferment garlic in raw honey and that’s a great medicine too. Garlic flavored honey is delicious on pizza and in salad dressings.
Life is hard; food doesn’t have to be.
Julie
PS - Clean beauty lovers! Beautycounter is coming back June 25.
In case you missed it, I wrote about:
A review of Period Panties on Clean Majors.