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Oil is well
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Safflower makes heart-healthy oil.
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SAFFLOWER OIL is one of most heart-healthy oils because it has more unsaturated fatty acids and less saturated fatty acids than any other edible oil. Safflower is one of the oldest crops cultivated by man. The plant is native to South Asia, and India is its leading producer.
Originally, safflower flowers were grown for carthamin, a red dye for food and clothes. The dye was a vital part of the carpet-weaving industries of Europe and Asia until the 19th century when synthetic aniline dyes took over.Carthamin was a common adulterant of the more expensive saffron. In Iran, safflower seed paste is used to speed up curdling of milk. Ethiopians use grounded safflower kernels mixed with water to prepare `fitfit', a drink used on fast-days or mixed with `teff' bread and spices to form porridge.
Ethiopians also love to eat roasted safflower seeds mixed with barley or wheat. The seeds are delicious - roasted or fried, and they are common ingredient in chutneys. The tender shoots of the plant make for a great salad and potherb. Safflower oil is nutritionall similar to olive oil, but costs less. Its lightness and blandness makes it ideal for cooking, salads and margarine. It handles extreme heat and cold well. Its intact consistency at cold temperatures makes it ideal for chilled foods. High oleic safflower oils do not give off smoke and smell during frying.
Spraying safflower oil on foods extends their shelf life by preventing water loss or absorption. The oil is used for making paints, varnishes, candles, linoleum, and wax cloths because it does not yellow with age.
Hundred gm of safflower seed contains 480 Calorie, and 100 gm of the oil contains nearly 800 Calorie - most of it "good" fat in the form of linoleic and oleic fatty acids. These fatty acids promote cardiovascular health and help lower cholesterol levels.
Charred saffron oil is an ancient Indian remedy for sores and rheumatism. Chinese medicine employs the oil to treat menstrual disorders. Iranians use warm saffron oil as a balm for sprains and joint inflammations.
RAJIV.M
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