Cranberry syrup is a sweet product, rich in vitamins, which can be prepared at home from fresh or frozen fruits of this plant. This is a very easy to prepare, but extremely healthy and tasty product. It can be consumed as an independent dish, but you can also prepare all kinds of drinks and sweet dishes based on it. What beneficial properties and contraindications does cranberry syrup have, how exactly to prepare it and what foods to add to it, you can learn from this article.
Beneficial features
Cranberry is a marsh berry that is not only memorable for its unusual sweet and sour taste, but also has many beneficial properties. It contains simple sugars and several organic acids, coloring agents, tannins and pectins, vitamin compounds, fiber (dietary fiber), salts, and mineral elements. Cranberry berries also contain substances that are natural antibiotics, so they are useful to consume in autumn and winter as a good natural cold remedy. Pectins, which are part of cranberries, are able to remove heavy and radioactive metals, cleansing the body of these harmful compounds.
Cranberry berries are also valued for their flavonoids; fresh fruits contain anthocyanins, leukoanthocyanins, catechins and triterpenoids. The mineral elements in them are represented mainly by phosphorus, sodium and potassium.There are also iron, manganese, zinc, aluminum, copper and other microelements significant for human life that are no less important for the normal course of processes in the body.
The result of regular use of the product is a significant improvement in appetite due to increased production of gastric and pancreatic juices. It can also be used for low acidity of gastric juice, as well as for some gastrointestinal diseases associated with this disorder, for example, gastritis with low acidity.
In addition to its beneficial effects on the digestive organs, cranberry syrup can help with a wide variety of diseases - respiratory, inflammatory, autoimmune, infectious, ulcerative, as well as vitamin deficiency, in particular, vitamin deficiency caused by a sharp lack of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and the disease caused by it - scurvy.
The use of cranberry syrup allows you to remove excess fluid from the body, which prevents the formation or reduces existing edema, prevents the formation of blood clots in blood vessels, the development of atherosclerosis, stroke, heart attacks, and even the occurrence of malignant tumors.
The substances contained in cranberries strengthen bone tissue and fight the deposition of excess fat in the body, strengthen and sharpen memory. They help cope with chronic stress or constant nervous tension, help you fall asleep faster and make sleep calmer, longer and more productive.
Recipe
Cranberries are native to northern European and Asian regions, as well as North American countries.The population of these territories has long been actively using its berries for food, both fresh and processed. For example, Europeans and Asians prepared food and folk medicines with the addition of cranberries, and North American Indians made jam from it with the addition of maple sap and honey.
Today, cranberry syrup can be purchased in supermarkets or grocery stores, where it is sold in glass bottles of various sizes. But, having fresh or frozen berries, sugar and cold water available, you can try to prepare it at home. These ingredients are included in the classic version of the cranberry syrup recipe, but there are also other variations, according to which freshly squeezed juice or finely chopped citrus zest - orange or lemon, white or red wine, oriental spices (cinnamon, vanilla, ginger) are added to it. and other components. Each of them gives the finished product its own unique taste and subtle aroma.
Making cranberry syrup in the classic version is very simple. To do this, you will need to take cranberries and sugar in equal parts, that is, for example, 1 kg each. The cooking algorithm can be described as follows:
- Sort the berries, separate those unsuitable for consumption: damaged, rotten, too small, green. Place the rest in a colander, rinse under water, and leave for 2 minutes to drain.
- Pour the prepared cranberries into the pan. It should be enameled, not aluminum - you cannot cook in metal containers, since cranberries contain many aggressive organic acids that will react with the metal during the cooking process.
- Pour cold water over the cranberries so that it completely covers them, but not too much.
- Place on the stove and let the mixture boil.
- Once the berries begin to burst in the boiling liquid, which will happen in about 10 minutes, cook for another 10 minutes, then remove from heat.
- Once cooled, strain the cranberry mixture through a fine mesh sieve.
- Pour the juice back into the pan, add sugar and cook over low heat until it begins to thicken.
- Remove from heat, cool.
You can consume ready-made cranberry syrup immediately, with hot tea, for example. The main volume can be bottled and hermetically sealed with lids. Then store them in a cold and dark place: in a pantry, cellar or basement.
Contraindications
If you consume cranberry syrup in moderation, it is not contraindicated for healthy people. Only its use in excessive quantities or too often is harmful. However, like most food products, cranberry syrup has a number of restrictions for use. For example, it should not be drunk or eaten by people who have stones or sand in the kidneys, since cranberries contain oxalic acid, from which oxalates are formed, and by diabetics, since it is very sweet and can cause a sharp increase in sugar levels. blood.
If you are individually intolerant to any substances included in the chemical composition of cranberry berries, it is also worth finding some other product with similar properties and taste.It is also necessary to refrain from consuming cranberry syrup during treatment with blood thinning drugs, which can lead to accidental bleeding, as well as for those people who are allergic to the drug aspirin.
Use in cooking
Small amounts of cranberry syrup can be added to hot and cold drinks. For example, to quench thirst, a little syrup should be diluted in cool mineral water, and in order to warm up on a cold day - in boiling water or tea. You can use it to make delicious jellies, compotes or jelly. They can be made only from cranberry syrup or with the addition of syrups from other fruits or berries.
Cranberry syrup is an excellent ingredient that can be added to desserts, such as homemade ice cream, and baked goods such as muffins, cakes and pastries. You can pour it over pancakes or toast. You can also add it to alcoholic drinks, for example, liqueurs, vodka, you can also mix it with wine or add it as an ingredient to an alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktail. Hot water with cranberry syrup and any kind of honey can be consumed for common colds and other respiratory diseases to reduce fever and quickly restore strength and health.
Despite the fact that cranberry syrup is sweet, it can be used to prepare dishes with a unique taste. sauces for meat and the bird. For example, this sauce is served in America and England at Christmas with turkey, which is considered a good tradition.
Conclusion
Cranberry syrup is not a very common and well-known dessert product in our country, but, nevertheless, very healthy and original. It is easy to prepare at home from berries collected with your own hands in nature or purchased at a retail chain and ordinary sugar.It can become an important component of various dishes, everyday and holiday drinks, giving them a unique taste and aroma.
