Bucked up by Buckwheat

Stop sniggering at the back of the class. I said "bucked".
Yes, buckwheat. Like a lot of you, I've been aware of buckwheat for some time, but only registered it as a small brown packet with a single facing, hidden among the more exotic looking flours in my local Waitrose. It wasn't until I started having problems with wheat itself that I began  looking at buckwheat with interest.
 So what's good about buckwheat? Lots.
 Buckwheat is not a true cereal, being related to rhubarb, sorrel and dock. It is gluten free and contains soluble and insoluble fibre, helping to lower cholesterol and keeping blood sugar levels balanced.
It also contains quercetin (which might have anti-flammatory and anti-allergic properties) and rutin (thought to improve circulation and strengthen capillaries). Because of these properties, buckwheat is thought  to help protect against varicose veins.

 It contains useful amounts of manganese, copper, magnesium and phosphorous, as well as ligans, which can promote hormonal balance in men and women. One of these, enterolactone, has been shown to protect against hormone-dependent cancers.
Diets containing buckwheat have been linked to a lowered risk of developing high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. Buckwheat's rich supply of flavinoids help maintain blood flow, keep platelets from clotting excessively, and protect low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL, the form linked to cardiovascular disease) from free radical oxidation into potentially harmful cholesterol oxides.
  The slow release of carbohydrates helps keep a steady blood sugar level, and lowers the risk of diabetes. It has a gum-like mucilaginous fibre which both lubricates and soothes the digestive tract. It also has an insoluble fibre, which besides acting as a prebiotic, may help to prevent gallstones (NB all whole grains contain insoluble fibre. It's one of their many endearing qualities).

  Recent research has suggested that the eating of buckwheat and other whole grains is  a particularly good idea for postmenopausal women with high blood pressure, high cholestrol levels or other signs of cardiovascular disease.

Buckwheat can be used in several forms. You can sprout raw (untoasted) grains to make its nutrients more available to the body. Use them as you would any bean sprouts.
 You can use the grains, toasted or untoasted, depending on your preference, instead of rice or pasta (you'll need to cook it for longer and, yes, you can use a rice cooker. You'll need to experiment. You can't really undercook it. It might be a degree chewable, but that doesn't make it inedible.).

You can grind the grain to make a flour that you can use for baking.

Alternatively, you can save ruining your coffee grinder and buy buckwheat flour ready made. My experience of buckwheat flour is limited. I have used it to make a loaf of "bread" and pancakes. There are many recipes out there in Internet Land. Just google what you're after. The pancakes I made were a pleasant surprise, the bread variable. Some might

find the texture objectionable (it's more like cake than bread), and it has a sweet, nutty taste. I found I couldn't eat it without toasting it first. But that's my preference.
You can also soak and sprout the seeds and use them to make a porridge, by combining them with yoghurt (or nut milk) and fruit. Again, there's lots of recipes for this on the Internet. I must confess, however, that I haven't been brave enough to try this one yet. My personal preference is to use the grain as a more filling alternative to rice in a risotto, flavoured with a handful of cumin seeds. But, as I say, there's a lot more info' and recipes on the Internet. Give it a go. You might like it.

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Achbor and the Tradition of Angels

   Achbor, the eponymous angel in The Angel in Towerhouse Wood, is following in a tradition of religious mythology. He is a celestial intermediary, guiding and protecting his human, Joel, as they attempt to work out why they are stuck in a hopeless, seemingly God-forsaken land. But, unfortunately for Joel, Achbor falls short of the angelic ideal epitomised by Gabriel, Michael and Raphael.
  The name Achbor means gnawing or mouse, and it was plucked out of the Cambridge Companion to the Bible, as I wanted to give the character a biblical sounding name, but also a little known one. Achbor is, after all, one of "His lesser servants." I think there are two or three Achbors in the Bible, and none of them is an angel.
Whilst those in the West might associate the idea of angels with the Bible and Judaeo-Christian mythology, angels also appear in other religions and cultures. In ancient Egypt, Maat and Isis were frequently represented with wings, and some of the 500 or so dieties were probably closer to our idea of angels than they were to gods. The text of the Unas refers to the Angels of Thoth and three classes of celestial bodies impervious to decay.

  Angels are mentioned in the Qu'ran and Hadith and, much like Western tradition, are seen as the messengers of God. Unlike the Western tradition, however, they have no free will and can only do as God orders them to do. 
  Zoroastrians believe that each person has a guardian angel called Favashis, " the divine, spiritual essence and guarding sprits [that] represent the omniscience and omnipresence of Ahura Mazda"

  Sikhs to not believe in the existence of angels as divine or supernatural beings. "Those who live a virtuous life are angels, but those who commit sins are devils." (Guru Gobind Singh). Angels and jinns are seen as the good or bad qualities that humans show.
 Achbor shows vices of a human kind- arrogance and prejudice, for example. His adventure with Joel is a journey of self  realization and the recognition that "he had been everything an angel should not be. While he had blamed everyone else’s incompetence and stupidity for his position in the hierarchy, it was in fact his own flaws that held him there. And really, he’d known it, known it always, but hadn’t the courage to face and correct his own short comings."  Later, he ponders, "How close had he been to falling? How close was he still to falling?".
   The idea of the fallen angel, a concept needed to explain Satan and, consequently, the reason there is evil in the world, was widely accepted in the Christian world. It formed the basis of John Milton's masterpiece, Paradise Lost, where we read that Satan and "his host
Of rebel angels [is]
Hurl'd headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky
With hideous ruin and combustion, down
To bottomless perdition." (Paradise Lost, Book 1).
  Like many school children of my generation, I read Paradise Lost in English Literature class. I did actually read the whole poem. And the best parts, the parts I can still remember? The descriptions of Satan and his motley crew and their plan to wreck Paradise. I doubt I was the only one who found the character of Satan more interesting than that of Adam and Eve, or Satan's erstwhile colleagues, Raphael and Michael. Satan does not have a change of heart or, to borrow another biblical reference, a Damascus moment. Unlike Achbor, Satan is too proud to repent and change his way, and Satan's moral and physical corruption continues. Routed in the battle with the forces of  Heaven, Satan flees, "Murmuring, and with him fled the shades of night."

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