Is it bad to eat fat foods cold? page

[YogaBare]

My mum is Polish, and this Christmas she made Bigos (Polish Hunter's stew) which is basically loads of pork, bacon, cabbage - YUM. Bigos - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anyway, this morning I was eating some for breakfast - cold, and she told me that it wasn't good to eat something so fatty cold. When i asked why, she wasn't really able to answer - she just said she had a feeling about it, and it's not good for digestion... or something.

Has anyone ever heard this before? Is it an old wives tale, Polish CW, or wisdom from older generations that been lost? (not that my mum is actually old..! She's in her 50s)

[Him]

Cold fat is less palatable to some people. Some people associate their personal palatability perception with general perceptions and/or health. "If I taste it this way, everyone must, and it must be bad."

Of course that's not true, but it's a natural mistake.

In my case, congealed fat on top of a soup would put me off. I wouldn't eat it that way because I find large globs of congealed fat unpleasant. That's absolutely just my personal hang-up, but it may be shared by many others. Because of my hang-ups I would heat the soup, and stir the fat in, and know full well the fat is still there but be much happier with the eating experience.

[Leida]

Russian version called Solyanka was often eaten cold. But, in Russia, at least, in my times, large hot meals were always considered superior to small cold ones, particularly the beloved Western sandwiches as bad for digestion. There is actually a specific term for it 'suhomyatka', roughly translated as 'dry mush'. Snacking, and cold food was just not considered 'wholesome' when I was growing up. Even the mid-afternoon meal for children in the day care or youth school came with something hot, like a hot dry fruit compot or milk.

[slowcooker]

Old wives tale.. bundle up or you'll catch a cold

[AshleyL]

Yea, you can catch a cold as result of cold. Cold stresses the body, stress reduces immunity.

I think warm foods are supposed to encourage bile flow from the liver. There may be some benefit to eating it warm, but probably not a lot. Incidentally, I have had liver problems and I like my food steaming hot. Hmmmm

[SarahW]

Maybe she thought that the cold fat down your gullet would be like pouring fat down the kitchen sink - that it would get stuck somewhere along the way.

People think strange thoughts about food.

[Leida]

Well, we know that cold potatoes are resistant starch, maybe cold sausage is a resistant protein, woot!
I have to say that coming from a climate with 5+ months of winter and moving to a climate with 6+ months of winter, I am sharing your mum's and my mum's and my grandmum's gut feeling that hot meals are more nutritious, lol. Like a bowl of hot buckwheat or millet with steaming hot milk or melting butter vs dry cereal crunch in pale milk at the point of freezing... or a bowl of hot stew vs a bowl of limp salad... the hot version always feels heartier and healthier somehow.
I do love eating cold Solyanka though... until I heat it up and all the juices run together again and it smells divine.

[YogaBare]

Cold fat is less palatable to some people. Some people associate their personal palatability perception with general perceptions and/or health. "If I taste it this way, everyone must, and it must be bad."

Of course that's not true, but it's a natural mistake.

I think this is probably it, lol.

I think warm foods are supposed to encourage bile flow from the liver.

That's interesting. I have been told that cold water is bad for digestion. I suppose it would make sense that hot foods are easier to digest as your body doesn't have to use energy to heat them up first.

Well, we know that cold potatoes are resistant starch, maybe cold sausage is a resistant protein, woot!
I have to say that coming from a climate with 5+ months of winter and moving to a climate with 6+ months of winter, I am sharing your mum's and my mum's and my grandmum's gut feeling that hot meals are more nutritious, lol. Like a bowl of hot buckwheat or millet with steaming hot milk or melting butter vs dry cereal crunch in pale milk at the point of freezing... or a bowl of hot stew vs a bowl of limp salad... the hot version always feels heartier and healthier somehow.
I do love eating cold Solyanka though... until I heat it up and all the juices run together again and it smells divine.

I didn't realise you were part-Russian Leida! Did you spend time there? Buckwheat with steaming milk is a big breakfast thing in Poland too - we used to eat it in summer camp

[Gadsie]

It warms up in your body anyway.

[Damiana]

Besides the palatability issue of cold, congealed fat, I can't think of a biochemical reason why it would be any different once eaten.