By Thomas Kaerst Sep 11, 2006, 7:25 GMT
Berlin The Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner pioneered research into the benefits of uncooked vegetarian food for his patients, with his most famous invention changing the breakfast habits of millions of people around the world.
His creation, originally known as Bircher Muesli, was once hardly known outside the wholegrain-food fraternity, but today is the breakfast food of choice for millions of sports enthusiasts and health-conscious consumers around the world.
Thanks to its varied composition muesli is also a favourite of dieticians.
'It contains grains, roughage, magnesium and minerals,' says Christiana Einig of the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Potsdam near Berlin.
Milk and yogurt supply protein, calcium and vitamin B while the added fruits deliver a range of essential vitamins. 'You won't get anything like that by eating a sandwich,' says Einig.
That's one reason why professional athletes chose muesli to help keep fit.
Muesli is the perfect food for sports people, according to Roy Kieferle, a cook and book author, who also advises several football clubs in Germany's soccer league.
'It supplies energy for several hours without straining the body,' he says.
But not all mueslis are the same. Muesli is not a registered trademark and all sorts of breakfast cereals are sold under the name. Even Bircher-Benner's original muesli recipe from 1900 might appear strange to most people today.
His recipe was modelled on a meal eaten by Swiss shepherds.
It contained one spoonful of oatmeal soaked for 12 hours in three spoonfuls of water, one spoonful of lemon juice and a spoonful of sweetened condensed milk.
Then came 200 grams of grated apple with a spoonful of crushed hazelnuts or almonds.
Experts say Bircher-Benner believed the apple was the most important ingredient and that he recommended eating muesli as a midday and evening meal.
Roy Kieferle believes fresh ingredients are the key to a good muesli. 'You need healthy ingredients,' he says.
For his muesli Kieferle adds five kinds of grain: oat, barley, spelt as well as amarnathus and quinoa grains that originate in South America.
'Everything is put in a thermos can soaking in 90-degree hot water and left to stand overnight,' says Kieferle.
Cooking it in this way makes it easier to digest. The next morning the water is poured away and the warm cereal covered with yogurt containing 3.7 per cent fat.
Kieferle says grated apple and banana are also essential ingredients. Any fruit in season can be added as well.
However fruits like pineapple, papaya and kiwi break down proteins contained in milk, making it taste bitter.
Kieferle recommends using honey as a sweetener but even better is agave syrup. 'It's very sweet but only has a few calories.'
However most people are too busy in the morning to go to the bother of making muesli for themselves. That explains the popularity of pre-prepared cereals that only need milk and yogurt.
'With pre-made mueslis it's important to choose one that is not sweetened,' says Einig. 'If it's not sweet enough then try adding dry fruit to the mixture.'
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