Jeffrey Friedman is the man who discovered leptin, the a hormonal signal made by the body’s fat cells that regulates food intake and energy expenditure and has powerful effects on reproduction, metabolism, other endocrine systems, and even immune function.
Friedman’s team isolated the gene that, when mutated, caused the rat on the left to, as he says, “live in a state of perceived starvation, so ironically it becomes fat.” (http://www.hhmi.org/news/friedman20090616.html)
In honor of Friedman, the MarketPlace is also featuring Duck Confit with Minnesota hand harvested wild rice. Steve Kjellgren writes: “Dr. Friedman’s studies of fat tissue at the molecular level begged us to highlight the confit method of slow cooking meat in its own fat. We must note that Dr. Friedman did not do the begging. In fact, our own playful imaginations came up with this menu item, and what better to serve with tasty duck confit than nutty, native, healthy, hand harvested and hardwood roasted wild rice from the marshes of Northern Minnesota? As Minnesota’s state grain and the only native grain in North America, its extremely low fat content, its high quality protein and dietary fiber and antioxidant properties, make us confident that Jeffery Friedman would approve of our choice.
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