Per DaysoftheYear.com, Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day is an event that leaves little to the imagination. November 8 is a day to cook something original, spicy and maybe even a little bit offensive – think of how good Brie cheese smells a liiiittle bit like wet socks! The day is not meant to just represent a disgusting concoction of disparate ingredients, though. Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day is intended to celebrate the use of herbs such as garlic and hot pepper to promote health and longevity.
Why those two in particular? When garlic is chopped, crushed or chewed, it releases allicin, a compound that may help ease swelling and impede free radicals that harm cells and tissues within your body and lead to disease. In hot peppers, the capsaicin can improve heart health, prevent diabetes and prevent cancer. Hot peppers can even lower blood pressure and make you feel less hungry.
The best way to celebrate Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day is by (drumroll, please) cooking something bold and pungent. When boldness is combined with innovation, some interesting results can occur.
Delish lists the following as the top 10 stinkiest foods in the world. How many of these would you be willing to cook with today?
10. Reheated fish
9. Natto (sticky, gooey fermented soybeans)
8. Limburger cheese
7. Iru (a seasoning also known as dawadawa made by fermenting locust beans)
6. Doenjang (fermented soybean paste)
5. Lutefisk
4. Stinky tofu
3. Vieux Boulogne cheese
2. Surströmming (sour, fermented herring)
1. Durian fruit
While a lot of these are international, closer to home, you can grow your own stinky-yet-delicious goodies, such as garlic, onions, cabbage (stinky in sauerkraut or kimchi), Brussels sprouts, asparagus and broccoli.
You also may have noticed a lot of fermented foods on the list above. Fermented foods are good for you because they are rich in probiotic bacteria. By consuming fermented foods you add beneficial bacteria and enzymes to your overall intestinal flora, increasing the health of your gut microbiome and digestive system and enhancing the immune system.
Want to make your own bold and pungent food today? Check out this great recipe for Easy Kimchi, which includes cabbage, garlic, ginger, onion, hot pepper flakes and leek. So bold – and so good for you.
