Weed makes food taste better

FOR MANY daily ganja users, eating before smoking is unheard of.

Ganja not only opens your appetite, but makes food more savoury in every way. Subtle flavours surprise you with each bite, and a gastronomic appreciation is developed for food’s texture as you satiate your cravings.

As a matter of fact, communal gatherings to consume ganja is invariably linked to food. Failure to make the appropriate plans for the post-high munchies is asking for trouble.

Researchers sought to explain this phenomenon and in 2014 carried out a series of tests using mice; one set had the ability to smell, the other didn’t.

Researchers observed that the mice dosed with

THC ate more and displayed an acute sense of smell. The second set of mice, comprising those unable to smell, was significantly less aroused and ate nothing.

The study came from a team of European scientists, led by Giovanni Marsicano, at the University of Bordeaux. The study used mice as test subjects due to the similarities between their brains and human brains.

The study concluded that when receptors on the tongue and in the gut are activated by THC, a message is sent to the olfactory bulb in the brain that elicits cravings.

This effect of ganja has been particularly useful in treating patients with loss of appetite attributed to cancer treatment and AIDS. The United Patients Group, a medical cannabis resource, cited that ganja “raises the levels of two key hunger-regulating hormones, ghrelin and leptin, without raising insulin level, indicating it may be a safe and effective way to increase appetite” of AIDS patients.

GANJA CULINARY

In the 1980s, Mary Jane Brathmun, more popularly known as ‘Brownie Mary’, made headlines after being arrested for using cannabis to help terminally ill patients. Brownie Mary was a ganja activist and hospital volunteer in California who was supplying ganja brownies to AIDS patients at the San Francisco General Hospital.

Edibles, which are sweet treats made with ganja, are the most common way the herb is eaten. They remain highly controversial, however, because of the risk they pose to unsuspecting children, particularly when it’s in the form of a candy or cookie.

But for adult users who prefer not to smoke, edibles provide a discreet and healthier option for ganja consumption.

Vivica* is a Jamaica-based chef who specialises in spiked baked goods. Using ganja-infused coconut oil, she whips up some of the tastiest mood-altering cupcakes and brownies you can get your hands on. She says that people simply love the feeling of eating their ganja and its euphoric effects.

“Its about celebrating and bringing people together and finding ways to relax and just be,” said Vivica.

Ganja’s slow reacceptance into modern society is even seen in the high-end culinary world, particularly in the USA, where restaurants and private dinner parties are increasingly incorporating ganja on the menu. Cannabis sommeliers, experts in the plant’s terpene profile, have also been carving a niche for themselves recommending weed and wine pairings based on the flavour of each.

Industry analysts predict that marijuana’s acceptance in the culinary world will continue to rise and will become an in-demand option in the near future.

* Name changed

‘This effect of ganja has been particularly useful in treating patients with loss of appetite attributed to cancer treatment and AIDS.’