Cannabis and Cooking

 

 

'The very best of the meat would be roasted straight away for the feast that marked the Autumn Passage. The celebrations would be for three days of sheer exuberance, dancing and stories that Old Thrashbarg would tell of how the hunt had gone, stories that he would have been busy sitting making up in his hut while the rest of the village was out doing the actual hunting.

And then the very, very best of the meat would be saved from the feast and delivered cold to the Sandwich Maker. And the Sandwich maker would exercise on it the skills he had brought to them from the gods, and make exquisite Sandwiches of the Third Season, of which the whole village would partake before beginning, the next day, to prepare themselves for the rigours of the coming winter.

Today he was just making ordinary sandwiches, if such delicacies, so lovingly crafted, could ever be called ordinary. Today his assistant was away so the Sandwich Maker was applying his own garnish, which he was happy to do. He was happy with just about everything in fact.

He sliced, he sang. He flipped each slice of meat neatly onto a slice of bread, trimmed it and assembled all the trimmings into their jigsaw. A little salad, a little sauce, another slice of bread, another sandwich, another verse of 'Yellow Submarine.''

- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Complete Trilogy of Five, Douglas Adams 

 

 

 

With the growing legalization of cannabis and awareness of its benefits, cooking with cannabis is emerging as one of the hot new culinary trends. A number of popular chefs are including cannabis in their list of ingredients, and dishing out innovative and delicious food at exclusive restaurants, cook outs and other events. At homes, individuals are experimenting like never before with this most pleasurable and medicinal of herbs, the effect of which is felt intensely on the taste buds. It does not require much stretching of the imagination for a cannabis user to be convinced that the wedding guests - in the story of Jesus and the wedding at Cana - had been treated to some good cannabis, resulting in water tasting like wine.

Cannabis is one of the most versatile plants when it comes to food. Most parts of the cannabis plant can be used in cooking. Cannabis compounds are soluble in fats and alcohols, but not in water. The mature flowers and buds can be infused into butters and alcohols, and these can be subsequently added to various food preparations. The tender leaves of the cannabis plant can be used to make salads, juices, baking, and other food and beverages, much like the herbs one typically adds to this kind of food preparation. The CannabisIndustry.Org reports that - 'Juicing marijuana is the easiest and most convenient and way to consume the nutrients found in raw cannabis. Juicing the leaves of raw marijuana extracts essential minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, including: Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Potassium, Selenium and Carotenoids. In terms of dosage, one suggestion is to consume 30g of fresh cannabis leaves per day.' Cannabis seeds are some of the most nutritious parts of the plant. They can be powdered into flour that can be subsequently used in baking or making breads of various kinds. Based on these different uses of the parts of the cannabis plant, the entire range of culinary items, from starters to deserts, snacks and beverages can be prepared. Cannabis can be used in every type of cuisine, from the simple food of the indigenous forest dwellers to the most sophisticated food of the urban dwellers, irrespective of location and culture.

One of the key challenges with cannabis based cooking is the amount of cannabis to add to food. The challenge mainly arises due to the potency of the plant - essentially meaning how high you are likely to get. All the potency of the plant is, more or less, determined by the delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) compound found in the plant, at least that's what the anti-THC lobby say. Different parts of the cannabis plant have different potency, with the flowers and resin generally having more potency than the leaves, and seeds having even less. Different varieties of cannabis plants have different potency. What is classified as hemp has a potency of less than 0.3% THC. Hashish, cannabis oil, extracts and concentrates have different potency compared to the natural plant. Add to this the complexity of different individuals having different tolerances to cannabis. 

 

Another key consideration when it comes to cannabis based food and beverages is the time lag between when one ingests cannabis as an edible and when the psychotropic effects kick in. When one smokes or vapes cannabis, it enters the blood stream and the brain within a matter of minutes. However, when one ingests edible cannabis, it takes the liver more than an hour typically to break down the cannabis and release its compounds into the blood stream. This lag in time - when eating cannabis - can result in individuals eating more quantities of cannabis through food than they would typically smoke before the effects kick in. This has resulted in uncomfortable situations, especially for first time users unfamiliar with the effects of cannabis, leading to panic, nausea, a feeling of loss of control, etc. Many of the cases of complaints of cannabis intoxication are from the ingestion of more than preferred quantities of cannabis by individuals who are trying it out for the first time. Hence, it is especially important when cannabis is added to cooking to be conscious of the quantities added, both by the person preparing the food and the person consuming it. This is however not much different from the amount of any other ingredient one would add to food, the right balance being most important. Too much of any ingredient will spoil the taste, too little will not produce the desired effect. Many food places indicate the degree of pungency of the dish based on the amount of pepper or chilli added. Something along these lines probably needs to become a part of cannabis infused food and beverages. This should eventually be the norm once the industry evolves sufficiently. Of course, with home cooking these sort of labels would not be possible, and it will be purely a matter of trial and error. Relax, nobody has died of a cannabis overdose.

 

In the Western world, hash cookies have been popular for some time now. Yet recently as a part of the legalization wave, when many restaurants and businesses started preparing edibles including cannabis, the US FDA was quick to act and many local authorities followed suit, banning the addition of cannabis to food and drink. These authorities have gone to the extent of banning even Cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive compound of cannabis from food and beverages. These are the same regulatory bodies that permit artificial flavoring agents, coloring agents, sugar based sodas and fatty foods freely for all ages to consume. The European Court recently ruled that CBD is not a narcotic, opening up the feasibility of low THC cannabis in food across Europe.

Cannabis is said to be beneficial to the stomach, intestines and other parts of the digestive system that are known to have high concentrations of cannabinoid receptors. Oxford University Press reports that 'Marijuana contains over 60 compounds which interact with cannabinoid receptors throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This is the proposed mechanism by which marijuana exerts its effects as an analgesic, appetite stimulant, anti-emetic, and motility modulator.' Cannabis is known to be effective against inflammatory bowel disease, stomach, intestinal and pancreatic cancers. Cannabis is said to help in controlling diabetes and obesity. Cannabis is known to increase appetite and digestion. Cannabis is known to reduce nausea. Cannabis is known to protect the liver against non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. Cannabis is known to reduce inflammation and pain as well as to relieve stress, mental illnesses and anxiety.

Cannabis as a source of food offers one of the most sustainable ways to address the problems of nutrition and hunger afflicting large parts of the world today. Cannabis grows in diverse conditions and can be grown more than once a year. It requires far less water than rice, wheat or many of the other major crops. Cannabis can be grown at home by the individual for personal consumption, it can be grown by the small farmer as a food source, and also grown on large scales. The biomass left over from use can be used as animal feed. Even as the world and the UN grapple with the issues of cannabis legality that the absurd prohibition laws have created, individuals need not wait for governments to come round with legalization to start using cannabis in cooking. Almost all regulatory bodies have  issues primarily with THC. Low THC cannabis is not forbidden under the 1961 UN Single Convention Treaty on narcotic drugs. Neither are the leaves and seeds of the cannabis plant defined as illegal in the UN Convention that most national drug laws are based on. As the laws slowly lumber towards better sense, governments must immediately remove all curbs and restrictions on low THC cannabis for food to make it viable as an option once again for people, especially the poorest and the persons suffering from diseases that waste the body and destroy appetite like cancer, HIV and tuberculosis. 

With increasing world wide legalization of cannabis, you can expect to see cannabis increasingly becoming a part of food and beverages with new culinary delights and traditional ones getting a lift through the addition of this awesome plant. 

Cannabis-based food and drinks in 19th century India

Cannabis has been a part of cooking for thousands of years. The Indian drink of bhang, contains crushed cannabis leaves, various nuts and spices mixed in cold milk. It has been around for as long as we can remember. 

 

Looking back at the historical methods of cannabis consumption in India, in and before the 19th century, we see that the herb was used along the length and breadth of the country by people of all classes and all ages, in a rich variety of ways comparable with any of India's other herbs. Coupled with the spiritual, medicinal, social and intoxicating benefits of cannabis, its nutritional benefits add another significant dimension to its use. Information regarding the culinary habits dating back to the time of the Buddha show that hemp flour was a staple in the daily food intake of the monks. Bhang, the common name used in India for the cannabis leaves, was, and still is, very much used in preparing beverages with a number of other ingredients, including spices, milk, nuts, herbs, sugar and ghee. The types of ingredients used, besides cannabis, varied according to local tastes and preferences, besides one's ability to afford the various ingredients. While the poorer sections of society used cannabis with simple ingredients such as sugar, water and molasses, the more affluent classes used a wide range of nuts, spices and flowers, such as black pepper, almonds, anise seeds, pistachio, mace, ghi, rose petals, etc as detailed by the Indian Hemp Commission in its report of 1895. Sweetmeats and confectionery were made from cannabis flowers or ganja and sold commonly across the country. Medicinal pastes and syrups were prepared using the cannabis flowers. Curries were prepared in which cannabis was an active ingredient.  

 

Cannabis based food and beverages in 19th century India, as per the Hemp Commission report, show mainly its usage in the preparation of bhang - using a wide variety of ingredients - and in the preparation of majum and halwas. There is the rare mention of its use in curries but this, to me, is an area that is inadequately covered. The respondents to the Hemp Commission were exclusively men, and that too men of the ruling and upper classes. It is their inputs that form the basis of the report regarding methods of consumption of cannabis. Women are completely ignored in the information procurement process of the Hemp Commission. What this means is that, in addition to the impression that women rarely used cannabis, the ways in which women used cannabis remained out of scope. Just as the exclusion of India's spiritual community from the study meant that the spiritual aspects of cannabis usage were grossly under-represented, and just as the exclusion of  India's native physicians from the study meant that the medicinal aspects of cannabis were grossly under-represented, so too the complete exclusion of women from the study meant that the information on the use of cannabis in food and drink was severely limited to its use by men in the beverage called bhang or thandai and sweetmeats such as majum or yakuti. The fact that cannabis was mixed with ghee to form an infusion meant that this infusion could be used in all kinds of cooking. It appears that Indians knew about the solubility of cannabinoids in oils and fats for a very long time in the past. Today, cannabis infused butters and alcohol form the basis of a wide variety of food and beverages in places where cannabis is legal. I believe that cannabis was once as pervasive a part of Indian cooking as any other herb that is found today in the Indian kitchen, such as mint or coriander. Many homes had cannabis plants growing in the garden, and it was available in retail outlets similar to grocery stores. The uniformity across the length and breadth of the country, in terms of the modes in which cannabis was consumed: smoked; drunk as a beverage (bhang); eaten as a sweet (majum or yakuti); and the large similarities in their recipes, is an indicator of the extent to which, and the length of time, that cannabis was embedded in Indian culture. Even though people spoke different languages and followed various cultural traditions, when it came to cannabis consumption there was truly unity in diversity. For the methods of consumption to be so similar and to be so pervasive, they had to have been around for a long, long time - thousands of years. It is interesting to note that the sweets made out of cannabis were prepared in dosages suitable for 8 year old children besides being prepared in dosages suitable for adults. This goes to show than cannabis was consumed by nearly all age groups. Compare this with the absurd lengths to which western countries are going to today to prevent children from accessing cannabis edibles - such as alcohol-like age limits and the myths being constantly propagated that cannabis legalization will turn children into addicts.  

Cannabis based drinks and beverages 

The Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, in its report of 184-95, states that:

Simple preparation for drinking.
421. As with smoking, so in the case of drinking, there is a common and simple form, and also various compounds more or less elaborate. The simple form is merely to pound the drug very fine with a little black pepper, add water according to the strength of the drink desired, and filter the decoction through a cloth. This beverage is sometimes made with the bhang composed almost entirely of the leaves of the plant, and sometimes, most commonly outside Bengal, the North-Western Provinces, and the Punjab, of the flower heads or mixture of flower and leaves that has come away in the course of the manufacture of ganja. It goes by different names in various parts of India. In Bengal it is commonly called bhang or siddhi; in the North-Western Provinces bhang, siddhi, or thandai; in the Punjab, Bombay, and Central Provinces bhang or ghota; and in Sind ghota and panga according to its strength. In Madras the simplest form of preparation seems to be very little used, but when it is, it is probably called bhang or subzi. The Madras preparation called ramras or ramrasam seems to correspond to the dudhia of Upper India. The common names may be taken to include all forms of beverage made from the hemp drugs, except those which have special names of their own.

 

Spiced preparations for drinking.
422. There is next a class of beverages in which the hemp drug and pepper are supplemented by harmless perfumes and spices, the whole enriched, it may be, with sugar and milk or curds. Every bhang drinker who can afford it adds some or other of these ingredients. The spices most commonly used are anise, fennel, coriander, dill, ajwan (Ptychotis), cucumber and musk-melon seeds, almonds, rose leaves, cloves, saffron, and cardamom. But many others of the same class of innocent ingredients are mentioned, viz., hemp and poppy seeds, mace, mint cummin, endive, parsley, musk, betel-leaves, keori, attar, cinnamon, lotus seeds the seed of hollyhock, the kernels of pistachio and charoli (Buchanania latifolia), asafoetida, liquorice, cubebs, chillies, and senna leaves. The juices of fruits and trees are also employed in the concoction, such as that of the pomegranate, grape, mango, bael, cocoanuts, and date (not toddy). 

 

The Bombay Memorandum submitted to the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission states that: 'Bhang or Thandai (a cooling drink). Bhang is drunk as a cooling drink in the hot weather. The method of preparing the drink is as below. Bhang—or the flowers and leaves that drop when the plants are being tied up into sheaves—is first of all well cleaned and then boiled. Afterwards it is very carefully washed and then dried. A small quantity of this preparation is then mixed with spices such as "sonph," "miri," "badam," "khaskhas," and "rose-buds." The mixture is then well pounded, putting a little water over it. It is then mixed with cold water or milk, and sugar put in it, and after being filtered it is drunk. This is known as bhang or thandai, or a cooling drink. Bhang.— Besides being drunk in the above mentioned manner a preparation of bhang is eaten. Bhang is first well boiled and washed clean and then dried. It is then pounded without water and is mixed with a powder of lavang, vilaichi, jaiphal, etc., and saffron. A small quantity of this powder is mixed with sugar and eaten by some people.'

 

3. (a) Bhang.—This preparation of ganja is made up of the ingredients and in the proportions noted against each in the table as per margin. The ganja was put into 10 oz. of cold water and boiled for 5 minutes. The ganja was kneaded into the hot water with the hand, and the moisture drained and expressed with the hand therefrom. The stalks and seeds were then removed. The residuum was ground on a curry-stone into a fine paste and milk added as required to keep up the consistency. The other ingredients were then cast in and ground with the ganja into a fine paste. The weight of this ball was 530 grains. The cuscus and cucumber seeds were ground and kept separately in one ball, the weight of which was 440 grains. Both these balls were dissolved in 20 oz. of milk and passed through muslin, and the sediment, which weighed 340 grains, was then thrown away, as it was of no use. Sugar was then put in and the whole mixture was again strained. This mixture is enough for two men in one day. One-fourth of the quantity was taken before, and the other after meals, by each of the two men to whom it was given by me. 

  - EXTRACT FROM MEMORANDUM REGARDING GANJA AND ITS PREPARATIONS IN MYSORE BY MR. J. G. MCDONNELL, SPECIAL ASSISTANT EXCISE COMMISSIONER IN MYSORE. 

 

Boja.
426. There is a liquid preparation of ganja in use in the Sholapur district of the Bombay Presidency which seems to be little known elsewhere. It is called boja, and its preparation is described by Bombay witnesses 25 and 47. The consumption is considerable, amounting in the year 1891-92 to 138,100 sérs. It appears to consist principally of a gruel made from jawari, and to contain a comparatively small proportion of hemp and a little nux vomica. After brewing, it has to be kept a day, when water is added, and it is drunk.

 

Further details regarding Boja are found in the Bombay Memorandum submitted to the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, which states that: 'Boja. "9. This is one of the intoxicating preparations in which bhang powder has to be used. It is prepared as follows:—Ordinary jowari flour is soaked in water for a night, which is boiled the next morning, and the kosht-kolanjan (the roots of Costus Arabicus), kuchla (Nux vomica), and bhang powder are then mixed in it. Some mix the powder of the roots of aconite with a view to increase the strength of the drink. The mixture thus prepared is then spread on a mat and allowed to dry in the shade. This stuff is called 'kanya.' A second preparation, called mávyáche peith, is next prepared. Best sort of jowári is soaked in water for 11 days until the grain germinates. The jowari is then dried in the sun and ground into fine flour. The two stuffs, viz., kanya and mávyáche peith, when proportionately mixed up, produce a fluid substance like nuchhu, the common staple food of all classes of people in this part of the country. This fluid substance is then stored up in a big earthen vessel called ránjan and allowed to ferment therein. A small quantity of this preparation is mixed with water, which is strained and drunk. No sugar or jaggery is used in preparing this drink. It produces a strong intoxication to such an extent that the customers seldom leave the premises of shops, but lie down there quietly until the intoxication subsides. The drink has a very sour smell, and is used only during the hot season. It is sold in common earthen pots called 'moghas.' I am further informed that the contractors, with a view to make good profits out of their farm, buy deteriorated or rotten jowári for preparing the stuff called 'kanya.' Boja farm has not been sold in the district, nor do I hear of any people of any class resorting to this drink." '

 

 

Cannabis based sweets

Also it was common in places in India to prepare cannabis based sweets. As per evidence from witnesses in the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission report of 1893-94, the following observations regarding instances of cannabis and its relation to food in Indian culture can be found:

'There is, however, a very considerable consumption of sweetmeats made with ganja or bhang, or even sometimes charas. They are all prepared in very much the same way, their various names and properties depending on the proportion of the hemp drugs and other ingredients that they contain. Their basis is sugar and milk, and the essence of the hemp drug is extracted by the aid of heat, and compounded with them with other drugs and spices or perfumes. The most common of them is majum, and the preparation is known by that name from one end of India to the other. It is largely used at certain Hindu feasts. It is evidently credited with aphrodisiacal qualities. Many people consume it habitually, either throughout the year or in the cold season, abandoning it in the hot in favour of the liquid preparations. The names of other similar preparations are yakuti (in general use from the Deccan northwards), purnathi (Madras), gulkhand (Bombay), shrikhand (Bombay), halwa (in general use), and many others. These preparations are all considered to be aphrodisiacal, some to such a degree that they should perhaps be regarded as medicinal forms rather than articles of ordinary consumption' -  Ch.8 Extent Of Use And The Manner And Forms In Which The Hemp Drugs Are Consumed, Vol.1, Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1894-1895.

The Bombay Memorandum submitted to the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission states that: 10. Majun, commonly called 'majum,' is another preparation of bhang and is prepared in small cakes. Its preparation is as follows:— Ghi is allowed to boil in water for three days and is then mixed with bhang powder and boiled. When boiling it a second time, some quantity of ghi is added to the preparation, and while it is lukewarm, spices, such as cardamoms, saffron, dried ginger, sugar or jaggery, & c., are put in. The stuff thus prepared is then poured in a tray, and when cooled is cut into small cakes. It is used by both Hindus and Mahomedans, who are generally addicted to the vice. It is given occasionally to the sick as a sleeping draught, especially in small villages where medical aid is not available. Some use it as a nervine tonic. Fakki. "11. This preparation is in the form of a powder and is prepared as follows:— Bhang powder is carefully washed in the first instance. A very small quantity of ghi is put in it and is slightly parched on a frying pan. The stuff is then reduced to fine powder, which is mixed with poppy-seeds and sugar. It is used chiefly by Mahomedans and other people who are given up to the vice."

The Berar Memorandum submitted to the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission states that: Majum. The method of preparing this drug is described below. A sheave of ganja is first cleaned properly, and after being boiled is carefully washed very clean. It is then mixed with ghee and is again boiled. This preparation is then filtered, and the fluid essence is mixed with spices such as jaiphal, jaipatri, kalmi, vilaichi, lavang, khurasni wora; sugar is then separately boiled, and when it is found to be quite clean and ready for being mixed with the above preparations, it is so mixed, and the whole thing is once more boiled. This preparation is called majum, which is of a green colour. I have obtained this information from a well known majum-seller at Ballapur, whose preparation is celebrated in the province and it is in many places called by name " Deolal," who was the original owner of the shop. This "Deolal" is used by many people known to be respectable. There is another preparation similar to the above and is called the gulab shakri majum. It is the same as the above, but is coloured red by mixing a small quantity of hingul. Gulkand.—Essence of ganja prepared just as it is done for majum and mixed with sugar and rose flowers or seranti flower becomes gulkand. Yakuti.— Appears only to be another name of majum, but it must necessarily contain rich spices above mentioned. Majum can be made even only by mixing sugar with essence of ganja prepared as above stated. '

 

REPORT BY MR. DAVID HOOPER, GOVERNMENT QUINOLOGIST, MADRAS, ON THE RESULTS OF ANALYSIS OF HEMP DRUGS. 

Remarks on majum.-The confection of hemp known as majum is differently made in various parts of India. In the north it is made with white sugar, in the south it is made with brown sugar and mixed with so many spices and other ingredients that it is quite black. Allahabad majum was a whitish soft mass of peculiar ghee-like odour, and containing vegetable debris similar to that from ganja. It contained 4 per cent. of ghee and 1.3 per cent. of vegetable matter insoluble in water. There was no trace of alkaloid present. Benares majum was in cakes of the same colour and odour, and was nearly pure sugar. It contained 1.4 per cent. of fat, and 1 per cent. of leafy portions; no foreign seeds were discovered and no alkaloid could be detected. Bombay majum was in the form of yellow-coloured cakes flavoured with spice, and with very little ganja. It contained 4.9 per cent. of ghee soluble in ether, and 2.7 per cent. of brown vegetable matter referable to cloves, cassia and saffron. No alkaloid was present. Amballa majum was in opaque white masses with a slight greenish tinge and odour of ghee. It contained 7.3 per cent. of ghee soluble in ether, and no vegetable structures of a green colour as in other samples. No alkaloid was found. Hyderabad majum was in the form of square cakes covered on one side with silvered paper. One kind was white and contained 2.3 per cent. of ghee, the other was coloured yellow with saffron and contained only 1.2 per cent. No seeds or vegetable structures were observed. This had been doubtless strained through a cloth before being boiled down. With these samples came a mixture, wrapped up in a leaf, of powdered raisins and white sugar. When this was examined, several other substances were found, such as pieces of almonds, seeds of various kinds, stamens of some plant, some cereal grains and spice. The little black seeds were further examined microscopically and were found to consist of two kinds, one with three angles, probably from a polygonaceous plant, and the others were, in very small quantity, the seeds of dhatura. This is the only sample in which I have found dhatura seed present. Coimbatore, Ootacamund and Tanjore majums were black soft masses of a liquorice-like odour and sweet taste. An analysis was not attempted of either sample, but they were each broken down with water, and among the insoluble portion a search was made for dhatura seeds, nux vomica, etc., but without success. The amount of leafy organs, such as would come from the ganja, was in a very small proportion. In Ootacamund there is a black majum used for adults, and a white kind given to children, but as sold in the ganja-shop they are not very powerful preparations. -     

 

EXTRACT FROM MEMORANDUM REGARDING GANJA AND ITS PREPARATIONS IN MYSORE BY MR. J. G. MCDONNELL, SPECIAL ASSISTANT EXCISE COMMISSIONER IN MYSORE. 

5. (a) Ordinary Alwa.- A recipé for this preparation as made and sold in the bazaars is given in the margin with the proportions noted against each. The rollong is kneaded into a stiff paste with water. The paste is then washed over and over again with clean water and all the fluid collected in a vessel till the water runs clean from the rollong. The glutinous matter is rejected and the fluid allowed to stand for four hours. The supernatant liquid is then decanted off and the residuum alone retained. The sugar is boiled into a thick syrup, the residuum of the rollong added and stirred, till the whole mass thickens, when the ghee is poured on and is thoroughly amalgamated. The almonds are shelled, the kernels put into boiling water and allowed to soak till the outer jacket can be slipped off readily when pressed between the fore-finger and thumb. The essence of rose is then added. If a small piece of the alwa is applied to the tongue and it does not adhere to it, it is a proof that the process is completed. The almonds cleaned are placed entire on top of the alwa after it has cooled. When private parties want ganja added they supply the needful to the sweetmeat-man, who boils it with water till ebullition ensues, the water is then expressed out of the drugs and rejected, and the residuum is put into the ghee and boiled again and the syrup and residuum of the rollong are then added and the process completed as set forth above.
* According to the requirements of each private party needing the alwa. The quantity for adults in ordinary cases is given in receipts No. 5 (b) and (c) in next page.
 

 
(b) Alwa— A recipé for the preparation of alwa for children. (1) One tola (180 grs.) of ganja should be boiled with a quarter seer (5 oz.) of cold water for quarter of an hour, the ganja is then taken in the hand and all the water expressed out of the residuum. The stalk and seeds are then removed. The ganja is now boiled with half a seer (12 tolas) of ghee for half an hour and then strained and the sediment rejected. (2) The sugar is now boiled with quarter seer (5 oz.) of cold water till it becomes a thick syrup, (3) The poppy-seed, dry figs, almonds, and rose petals should be well ground and put into item (2) and well mixed. The other ingredients should be well pounded. Koonkum flower and pachchai-kurpoor should be ground with a little water to form a sauce. All the ingredients are now cast into one vessel and the honey added and well mixed. This preparation is sold at one cash per ball of 54 grains which is a dose for a child eight years old. The ball contains 2/3 grs of ganja.

 
(c) Alwa-Kamera-Jafran.- A recipe for this preparation for adults is given in the margin, (1) The ganja should be boiled well and the water expressed out and rejected. The residuum is then ground. (8) The other ingredients should be pulverized and mixed with the ganja powder after it has been well boiled with ghee. This preparation is sold at five cash per ball of 180 grains, which contains 14 2/3 grs. of ganja. The material difference between the two preparations b and c consists in the liquid infusion of the ganja after being boiled with the ghee being retained for children while in that for adults the "sediment" of the ganja after being boiled with water is bodily added to the preparations while the water is rejected.

 

(6) Churen.—A recipé for the preparation of churun is given in the margin. The ganja is mixed with 6 1/4 oz. of cold water and boiled for 20 minutes. The water is all expressed out of the ganja with the baud and the other ingredients are all fried properly on a metal or earthen platter and then ground to a fine powder on a curry-stone, except the cocoanut, which is cut up into minute pieces. The whole is lastly mixed with the sugar. The ghee is first dissolved and then added to the mass and well mixed up. The total quantity weighed about 22 tolas. This is enough for five men for one day, but only three men ate of this quantity—4 tolas (720 grs.) each. It is eaten little by little at intervals during the day. It will keep for six months. Each tola of churun contains 16 1/8 grs. of ganja. 

 

Cannabis for flour, meat flavoring and chutneys

(7) Curry.—With other ingredients of a native curry a tola (180 grs.) of ganja is ground on a curry-stone and added to every 1/2 seer (one lb.) of mutton used and partaken of by the meat-eating classes. - EXTRACT FROM MEMORANDUM REGARDING GANJA AND ITS PREPARATIONS IN MYSORE BY MR. J. G. MCDONNELL, SPECIAL ASSISTANT EXCISE COMMISSIONER IN MYSORE.

 

'Hemp is sometimes compounded into cakes made of gram flour. It is used as a seasoning in the cooking of various dishes, those composed of meat as well as others. More than one witness in more than one province mentions this use at parties to make fun of the guests. A witness from the Punjab describes how powdered bhang is sometimes wrapped in dhatura leaves, the whole enclosed in a covering of clay and baked. It is not clear whether the cooked substance is eaten or drunk. It might be either. Witnesses, speaking of the northern part of the Bombay Presidency, state that gram and dates are sometimes charged with hemp. And in Calcutta the drug is occasionally used to flavour ice-cream. '-  Ch.8 Extent Of Use And The Manner And Forms In Which The Hemp Drugs Are Consumed, Vol.1, Report of the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission, 1894-1895

 

The use of the seed. "13. Oil is extracted from the ganja seeds just as that from the safflower and other oil seeds. Generally the oil is used for burning lamps, but when fresh it is also used, however very rarely, for culinary purposes. "14. Chutney is also made from the seeds. For this purpose the seeds are slightly parched and mixed with chilly, salt, and other spices. The several ingredients are then well pounded and used as chutney with bread. It has a good taste. The seeds form one of the ingredients in native tonic medicines prepared by native doctors."   - Bombay Memorandum

Related Articles

Listed below are articles taken from various media related to the above subject. Words in italics are the thoughts of your truly at the time of reading the article

 

'Cannabis-infused butter (cannabutter) is one of the simplest and most common ways to make infused cannabis edibles. However, making infused butter can be a little bit tricky. In order to activate its psychoactive potential, the flower must be heated slowly at a low temperature. This recipe will first guide you through this process–called decarboxylation–before walking you through a step-by-step guide to infusing butter.'

https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/recipe-how-to-make-basic-cannabutter


'For anyone who loves to cook, this is an especially exciting time (and that goes double for the cannabis connoisseur). So for those who live and breath in waves of vibrant produce, time in the kitchen, and particularly good herb, then you’ll absolutely adore the farmers-market-inspired three-course meal below. It combines market finds with your favorite strains, so stop by a stand this Saturday or Sunday and gather as many ingredients as your heart desires—and then some!'

https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/cannabis-and-farmers-market-finds

'Explorer's digital correspondent Erin Winters joins the "Herbal Chef" for a demonstration of his cannabis-infused recipes.'
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/u/kckMOO8vzgE0eXO-_g97LRH4awRanWDbMkTzQSHEOopribT7kLhdjnQaLkFlJrU/


'Sayegh doesn’t use just any marijuana, because dosing’s important. Just as you can’t serve vodka shots with every course and expect your guests to remain composed, you have to ease them into their marijuana high, especially since when pot, or lab-tested extracts of it like Sayegh uses, is eaten, it takes around 45 minutes to 90 minutes to take effect, and when it does hit it hits rather suddenly.'
https://www.nrn.com/chef-insights/pairing-pot-what-marijuana-right-your-meal


https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/food-matters/go-ask-alice-the-history-of-toklas-8217-legendary-hashish-fudge/


'“I wouldn’t tell anyone to just add marijuana there, there, and there,” Quenioux tells me. “To do something on a gastronomic level, it has to be well thought out and you have to be well prepared in order to offer that kind of a dinner, I would think. That’s my advice.” Quenioux and his team incorporated elements from the entire plant for the dishes, garnishing some with needleless leaves, infusing butters and coconut oil with the buds and using the entire stem and buds for some specific recipes. He says it has been a learning process and credits his long time sous chef, Daniel Vasquez, as the one who perfected all those techniques.'


'Marijuana contains over 60 compounds which interact with cannabinoid receptors throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This is the proposed mechanism by which marijuana exerts its effects as an analgesic, appetite stimulant, anti-emetic, and motility modulator. Self-medication for the alleviation of GI symptoms with marijuana is common. Despite its pending legalization, there is a paucity of Canadian data that summarizes the patterns and motivations behind marijuana use amongst patients with IBD.'
https://academic.oup.com/jcag/article/1/suppl_2/180/4916622


'Juicing marijuana is the easiest and most convenient and way to consume the nutrients found in raw cannabis. Juicing the leaves of raw marijuana extracts essential minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, including: Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Potassium, Selenium and Carotenoids

In terms of dosage, one suggestion is to consume 30g of fresh cannabis leaves per day.'
https://thecannabisindustry.org/member-blog-health-benefits-raw-cannabis/