Bircher Muesli was introduced around 1900 by the Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients in his hospital,^[2] where a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables was an essential part of therapy. It was inspired by a similar “strange dish” that he and his wife had been served on a hike in theSwiss Alps. Bircher-Benner himself referred to the dish simply as “d’Spys” (Swiss German for “the dish”, in German “die Speise”). Muesli in its modern form became popular in western countries starting in the 1960s as part of increased interest in health food and vegetarian diets.

Packaged muesli is a loose mixture of mainly rolled oats and/or cornflakes together with various pieces of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. It commonly contains other rolled cereal grains such as wheat or rye flakes as well. In mass-market brands, large amounts of sugar and whey are usually included, which give it a far sweeter and richer taste than traditional mueslies. Whey powder and Milk powder are also added to supermarket brands. There are many varieties, some of which may also containhoney, spices, or chocolate. This dry packaged muesli can be stored for many months. It can be served quickly after mixing it with milk, yogurt, coffee, hot chocolate, fruit juice, or even just plain water. If desired pieces of fresh fruit may be added. Alternatively, the mix may be soaked overnight in milk and then served with fresh fruit or compote to taste.

Muesli can also be freshly prepared using either dry rolled oats or whole grain oats that have been soaked in water or fruit juice. Other ingredients commonly included are additional grated or chopped fresh fruit (e.g., bananas, apples, berries, grapes,mango), dried fruit, milk products (e.g., yogurt, cream, condensed milk, fromage frais, quark, cottage cheese, or nondairy milk substitutes), lemon juice, ground nuts, seeds, spices (especially cinnamon), honey and muesli mix.

Original Bircher-Benner muesli recipe

The original Bircher-Benner recipe is proportionately the opposite of most muesli available in today’s supermarket varieties., calling for far more fruit than grains. One serving based on the original recipe consists approximately of:

• 1 tablespoon rolled oats, soaked in 2–3 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 200 grams apple (about one large, preferably a sour variety), finely grated and mixed with the above directly before serving
• optionally top with 1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts or almonds

The original recipe used sweetened condensed milk instead of cream, a compromise due to hygiene concerns regarding fresh milk products in 1900 (bovine tuberculosis etc.), before pasteurisation and refrigeration became commonly available. The original recipe also advised to soak the oats in water overnight as raw oats need a lengthy soaking to soften them before eating. This long soaking time is unnecessary with modern rolled “quick oats”, which the manufacturers already soften through a steam treatment. While phytic acid is an antinutrient and strong chelator of important minerals, it is removed during the steam process, making muesli desirable, given its positive antioxidant qualities.

Information courtesy of  Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page)

In future posts, I am going to reveal a muesli breakfast recipe, gluten free muesli, granola muesli, and discuss muesli nutrition in depth.  Grains, fruits and nuts, all part of muesli recipes are great health foods and should be part of your diet.  So stay tuned until the next post for more muesli recipes.

To your health & happiness,

Thomas
Author of “The BetesBuster Plan”
Step-By-Step Guide To Reversing Your Type 2 Diabetes Condition