Ausgelassenes Knochenmark im Glas mit Holzlöffel, daneben Markknochen und eine Gusseisenpfanne auf einem Holztisch

Bone marrow: the oldest fat in the kitchen

For millennia, bone marrow was an everyday food – today it has almost vanished from the shelves. What it is, why it suits frying and what matters about its origin. In Switzerland, we are currently ...
Kollagenpulver in einer Schale, ein Glas Knochenbrühe und Markknochen auf einem Holztisch

Collagen: from bone to powder

Collagen is the most abundant protein in the vertebrate body – and as a powder, a product with wide quality differences. What it is made from, what “hydrolysed” means and how bone broth, peptides a...
Drei Schalen mit grauem Meersalz, weissem Steinsalz und rötlichem Wüstensalz auf einem Holztisch

Sea salt, rock salt, desert salt: where salt comes from and what sets it apart

Every salt ultimately comes from the sea – it is just a question of how long ago. How sea salt, rock salt and desert salt are produced, what «unrefined» means and why moist salt does not belong in ...
Dunkelgrüne Chlorella-Presslinge in einer Schale neben einem Schälchen mit grünem Algenpulver auf einem Holztisch

Chlorella: the alga with the tough shell

Chlorella is a single-celled freshwater alga with a cell wall that the human digestive tract cannot crack. Why breaking the cell wall is the decisive processing step – and what sets it apart from s...
Getrocknete Kelp-Streifen neben einer Schale mit dunklen Seetang-Flocken und einer Holzschaufel auf einem Holztisch

Iodine from seaweed: why amount and origin matter

Seaweed is by far the richest food group in iodine – and the one with the widest variation. What that means in practice, why Switzerland iodises its salt and what you should look out for with seawe...
Getrocknete Scheiben der Teufelskralle-Wurzelknolle in einer Schale und auf dem Holztisch, mit feinem Sand

Devil’s claw: the root from the Kalahari

Harpagophytum procumbens grows only in southern Africa, and what is harvested is not the plant itself but its storage tuber. Where the name comes from and why sustainable harvesting is a real issue...
Rote Acerola-Früchte in einer Schale neben einem Schälchen mit rötlich-orangem Fruchtpulver auf einem Holztisch

Acerola: the cherry that isn’t one

Acerola is one of the richest fruits in vitamin C in the world – and so perishable that it never makes it to Europe fresh. Why that is and what distinguishes natural from synthetic vitamin C.
Getrocknete Ashwagandha-Wurzeln neben einer Schale mit hellem Wurzelpulver und kleinen roten Schlafbeeren auf einem Holztisch

Ashwagandha: winter cherry, root and leaf

Ashwagandha is the best-known adaptogen – and the one where a close look at the label pays off most. Why root rather than leaf matters and where the name «smell of the horse» comes from.
Gelbbraune Bockshornkleesamen in einer Schale mit Holzlöffel, daneben ein Schälchen Currymischung auf einem Holztisch

Fenugreek: the seed that smells of maple syrup

Fenugreek is in every curry powder, and in larger amounts it smells of maple syrup – not as a metaphor, but because of the very same aroma compound. Origin, uses and what you notice when you take it.