The carrot grows from the feathery light tiny carrot seed. It is a root vegetable that works its way completely into the soil and receives the light of the sun through its lush, finely branched green. It may surprise you how bright orange this vegetable is, even though it grows completely buried in the ground.

A brief excursion into the meaning of the word “root” – from the Old High German “wurzala” it developed into the word “wurzel” in the period from 1050 to 1350. It means “the sinuous” and is closely related to the verbs “to undulate, roll, turn, roll, bubble, be moved and flow”. If you immerse yourself in the growth of the carrot, these concepts really come to life. The growing root works and turns into the soil.

When looking at the carrot, especially if you cut off a slice and hold it up to the light, a strong and even centering catches the eye. And indeed, this centering power is also a healing effect of the root, which supports people in their thinking, their power of concentration and clarity of mind. You will find an extremely clear and profound examination of root vegetables, which includes the subtle life forces of the plant in relation to its environment and the cosmic influences and to which I refer here, in the book by the author and spiritual teacher Heinz Grill. It is entitled “Nutrition and the inner sense of giving” and the carrot is presented in the chapter “The essence of the root”.

With these visual ideas about carrots, I can now get down to business as a cook and create a carrot dish. The first thing I think about is the shape. Today I want to cut them lengthwise into thin oval slices. After this step, I fry them in a little olive oil in the pan and season with very finely chopped fresh ginger or ginger powder. The dish is harmoniously complemented by coarsely ground coriander. I add salt right at the start of the frying process.

Standing in front of the pan at the stove, where the food undergoes an intense transformation through heat, calmly turning and observing is an essential part of creative cooking practice. What happens now? Steam rises, the color and consistency of the carrot changes slightly with the roasting time, the spices soak into the root and infuse it with their aromas. It is particularly interesting to determine the ideal point at which a dish is ready, i.e. no longer too firm to the bite, but not too soft either. With a little attention, this ideal time is easy to find. Just before I take the carrots out of the pan, I add a small amount of chopped walnuts. These complement the harmoniously sweet taste, which is slightly tart due to the coriander and somewhat lemony-sour due to the ginger, with a fine, astringent bitter note.

The dish is now ready. The calm imagination before the cooking process – what should the shape be like, the spices, the consistency, how should the dish look on the plate? – All these attentive processes in the mind accompany the cooking process. This takes place calmly, without hectic, with interest and joy in creating and not in thoughtless haste or mental absence. The cooking process becomes a creative, artistic and healing activity, which ultimately also benefits the people for whom we prepare the food.