KEY POINTS:
It's long been a fashion staple but you may want to consider adding black to your plate.
Black-coloured foods are a sign of health in some parts of the world, and may be the next big nutrition trend.
The black food craze is red-hot in Asia, particularly Japan, and it may be poised to go mainstream, according to Simone Baroke, health and wellness analyst for Euromonitor International, a global market research firm.
Paul Yamaguchi, a New York-based analyst of the functional-foods market in Japan, said black foods have always played a prominent role in Japanese cuisine.
But thanks to the health claims, they have now reached new heights.
"Black foods have been eaten for hundreds of years in Japan for their rich taste, but now people are buying them for their nutritional value," he said.
The black-food fervour in Japan started a few years ago when a company called House Foods introduced a cocoa drink spiked with black soybeans.
The trend was fuelled further when a black-soybean tea was granted "foods for specified health use" status, the Japanese equivalent of a United States' Food and Drugs Agency health claim.
Black ingredients are now added to all types of beverages in Japan, including black vinegar drinks that are being promoted as a tonic to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Other popular black items include black rice, black sesame biscuits and cereal, black soy milk and black soybean coffee.
Even US companies have jumped on the black foods bandwagon. You can buy a black sesame seed cereal made by Kellogg's and get a scoop of black Haagen-Dazs icecream made with black sesame seeds.
In traditional Chinese medicine, colours in food are linked to specific organs of the body.
Black foods are believed to help the kidneys, said Yao-wen Huang, a professor of food science and technology at the University of Georgia, who has conducted research on black foods.
But is there any truth to the health theories? The answer is, well, not so black and white.
In Asia, the medicinal claims may get a bit exaggerated but most black foods do live up to their healthful reputation, studies have shown.
Often foods are black - or deeply hued - because of natural plant pigments called anthocyanins that do more than provide the colour.
Derived from the Greek words for "plant" and "blue", anthocyanins are what make blueberries blue, cherries red and blackberries black, or almost black.
Typically, the darker the colour, the more anthocyanins are inside.
Studies suggest these powerful antioxidants have anti-inflammatory properties and may offer protection against heart disease and cancer.
Monica Giusti, assistant professor of food science at Ohio State University, found that anthocyanins from blue corn helped slow the growth of human colon cancer cells.
In previous laboratory studies, Giusti and colleagues found that black carrots slowed the growth of cancer cells by up to 80 per cent, and black raspberries helped reduce the growth of oesophageal and colon cancer tumours.
Even though the black-food fervour hasn't fully arrived here, ebony-coloured items are beginning to make their way on to US restaurant menus.
In Chicago, you can find miso black cod with black forbidden rice in one restaurant, or black sesame seeds added to a tiered beetroot and goat cheese salad.
Another chef, Alexander Cheswick serves black lentils and sauteed black kale to accompany pork, but the appeal for him seems less about health and more about style. "There's something sexy about black food," said Cheswick, who likes the bold contrast of black foods on white plates.
But whether it's for style of substance, here are some black foods worth checking out:
Black beans: These dark, dense beans contain more antioxidants (including anthocyanins) than any other bean.
Add them to chili, soups and salads.
Black rice: This whole-grain rice contains more fibre and nutrients compared to white rice. Some varieties look purple when cooked.
Black soybeans: High in protein, fibre and anthocyanins, black soybeans may be better at lowering cholesterol levels than yellow soybeans, according to Japanese researchers.
Black vinegar: Available in Asian food stores, this dark vinegar is typically made from brown rice. It is similar to balsamic, but the ageing gives it a woody and smokey flavour.
Blackberries: These deeply hued berries are higher in antioxidants than any other fruit.
Nigella seeds: Staples in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine, these tiny, jet-black seeds have a nutty, peppery flavour. Also called black onion seeds, they're used as a seasoning for vegetables, beans and bread, including naan.
Black mushrooms: Aromatic and rich in flavour, black mushrooms include shiitake, wood ear and black trumpet. Dried versions are easily found in Asian markets.
- AAP
