* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia
This spring, in the gardens of the Pedralbes monastery in Barcelona, ??tulips have bloomed, which I have photographed for La Vanguardia’s Readers’ Photos, giving them a special touch with the reflection technique. And beyond their beauty, these flowers are even capable of saving millions of lives.
In fact, it was already demonstrated during World War II in the Netherlands, where the population suffered a great famine while waiting for the arrival of the Allied troops.
In the autumn of 1944, the end of the Nazi occupation was near, but, while the German defeat did not occur, access to food became increasingly scarce due to the blockade of trains and, in addition, river transport suffered due to a large drop in temperatures that froze the rivers.
So much so that it is estimated that energy intake went from 1,800 to 500 kilocalories per person per day in May between 1944 and February 1945. The Dutch were literally starving, so they turned to their national flower: the tulip.
The figures being considered are that up to 25,000 Dutch people lost their lives due to this malnutrition. And there could have been many more if tulip bulb soup had not been resorted to.
The authorities even distributed recipes to cook it, because, in addition, it had to be done well, since not all the bulbs are edible and contain an allergen: tulipalina A. It is found mainly in the outer layer, but also in the stem, the leaves and petals. So the recipe had to be prepared well so that the remedy was not worse than the disease, as is popularly said.
