Chia Power

Holy Basil, Batman!

In the remote mountainous regions of Oaxaca, Mexico, you can get a kind of lemonade made with whole chia seeds. It's called "chia fresca."

The chia seeds float around in the liquid and the gelcoat becomes concentrated with lemonade flavor. The seeds slide down real easy, and the drink is delicious and refreshing. (I've made it for a few friends who have said they really enjoy it.)

In the glass, chia fresca looks something like this:

But WAIT A MINUTE, Mayor Linseed, that's a photo of an entirely different drink; a drink that's made from seeds grown in Thailand.

It's Basil Seed Drink (with Honey)!

Last week, I found a can of this drink at my local oriental grocery for only $.89.

Like Lori in Champaign, Illinois, I found the drink to be a little too sweet for my liking, with a very strong artificial banana flavor from isoamyl acetate (which, BTW, was not listed on the label!!!)

Botanical fact: Chia and basil both belong to the mint family. 

Which raises some interesting questions:

• Do all members of the mint family have these gelcoated seeds?
• Are seeds of other members of the mint family made into drinks?
• If basil seeds are used in any other food products (like ice cream), can chia seeds be used in the same way?
• Did the inventors of basil seed drink get the idea from chia fresca? (Or was it the other way around?)
• Do a taste test: Basil seed drink or chia fresca? Which tastes better? Which is most nutritious?

If you want to read more about basil seed drinks, I've collected a set of links:

Basil seed drink reminds these folks of slurping frogs eggs!

Sterchlia with basil seed drink. A variation on a theme.

Homemade basil seed drink was poured out on the grass.

Basil seed drink is better than grass jelly according to Peculiar Pops!

Nutritional label for basil seed drink. I believe it is wrong. It doesn't list fat or protein, which we know must be present in the seed.

Or you can buy some seed here and make your own!

If you have tried basil seed drink, why not leave me a comment? Thanks!

Chia Fresca

This is a Mexican drink made with lemon, chia seeds, and a sweetener (honey, agave syrup, sugar, etc.) It's been made for centuries in the highlands of Mexico.

Here's a photo of a jar of Chia Fresca, submitted by my colleague, Dr. Joseph Cahill. He photographed it in the market at Huehuetenango, Guatemala.

My recipe for E-Z Chia Fresca:

To 1 glass of commercial lemonade, add a teaspoon of chia seed. Shake or stir to separate the seeds. Let sit 10 minutes until the seeds swell.

(Note that it's MUCH better if you use homemade lemonade!)

ALSO, please see Rachel Laudan's post for more information. She calls is "Agua de Chia" but it's the same thing.

Salvia divinorum

You may have come to this site because you were looking for a psychoactive plant called "Salvia."

"Salvia" is the name given to a genus of plants in the  mint family. There are between 700 and 900 species of Salvia. 

Chia is "Salvia hispanica." (There are also a few wild uncultivated species that are called chia: for example, Golden Chia is "Salvia columbariae." )

Salvias also include fragrant and culinary herbs such as common sage, pineapple sage, and Jupiter's distaff.

And many Salvia species are cultivated for their attractive flowers and foliage. Visit Robin's Salvias for some wonderful photos and great information about growing Salvias.

Salvia divinorum is the only species of Salvia known to have any psychoactive properties. Its use is still legal in the United States. This website and this Wikipedia article are good sources of information about this plant and its uses.

Fortunately for us, chia seeds don't look at all like these seeds of Salvia divinorum.

La Semilla de Chia (Japanese Style)

If you have 10 minutes to watch this Japanese infomercial (subtitled in Spanish), you will enjoy rare footage of Dr. Wayne Coates in his laboratory, a pan shot of Mexican chia fields near Jalisco, and endless clips of midriffs in Japanese aerobics classes!!

Lime Chia Gelato!

Paciugo Gelateria offers more than 200 flavors, including Lime Chia!

Kyle Nabilcy writes

--- the lime gelato was really good on its own. With just the right blend of icy cool and puckering tart, it was the perfect antidote to the day's early spring heat. The presence of the chia seeds added a grassy flavor component and crunchy texture that allowed the gelato to play well on a greater number of senses --Isthmus Daily Page, Madison WI, June 11

Chi Chi Soap Chia Seeds and Shea Butter Lavender Mint Superfood for your Skin

Check it out on Etsy!

Chia Cat Grass

Did you get the Chia Cat Grass planter this year?

I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but it's not actually chia that you're growing.

It's a different plant altogether, and one that cats happen to love.

What plant is it?

Take a guess. Do some research. Leave me a comment.

Do It. Tell Nelly.

According to this article in the San Jose Mercury News, Nelly Furtado is a huge fan of flax seed.

These "tiny brown seeds (flax seeds) smell like paint, taste kind of bitter and turn slimy when you mix them with water. Home cooks are befuddled by them, chefs have no interest."

So why would Nelly want to eat flax?? Because of its high omega-3 fatty acid content, flax is being added to foods throughout the supermarket including oatmeal, pasta, smoothies, spreads, bars, cold cereal, tortilla chips, etc.

"Every product we sell that has flax (in it) is selling like crazy," says Maria Emmer-Annes, director of marketing at Nature's Path. "In fact, people are kind of cuckoo about it."

Her company, based in the heart of Canada's flax-growing region, sells volumes of cereal, . . . with a touch of flax. In cereal, she says, the odd aroma and slight bitterness of the seed turn nutty and pleasant.

"Everyone loves flax - even Hollywood," she says. "We got a call from someone at the Vail Film Festival asking if we would donate 200 bags of Heritage Flakes cereal. We asked how they discovered us, and they said Nelly Furtado raves about it."

Well, why isn't Nelly raving about chia? Chia is nutritionally superior to flax seed and it tastes really good!! Apparently Nelly doesn't know!

So come on. Be a friend. Do it. Tell Nelly.

 

Mental Engineering

Comedians and professors dissect the Chia Pet commercial on Public TV!

Smithsonian Magazine

This month, the Smithsonian Magazine carries an article about Chia Pets on page 32. It's published on the web, here and features an interview with Mr. Joseph Pedott who founded the Chia Pet company (Joseph Enterprises) and who created the idea for the "Ch-ch-ch-chia" advertising slogan.

Back in September, I interviewed Joseph Enterprises Vice President, Mr. Michael Hirsch in his San Francisco office. At that time, he declined to tell me how many Chia Pets are sold every year. But now that information has been published in the Smithsonian article, along with other secrets, (such as Mr. Pedott's age)!