Many avoid rowan and consider its berries unsuitable for consumption due to their bitter taste. In fact, it is enough to understand the nature of this bitterness and master a couple of simple techniques. Then wild berries will turn into your favorite delicacy.
Why is rowan bitter?
Two substances give the specific taste to rowan: parasorbic acid and the glycoside amygdalin, says Katerina Piskunova, author of the channel “Living Things” (18+).
- Parasorbic acid is irritating to the gastrointestinal tract. When frozen or heated, it is converted into safe sorbic acid.
- Amygdalin (contained in seeds) breaks down into hydrocyanic acid in the stomach. For significant harm to health, you need to chew about 50 seeds, but sugar, freezing and heat treatment reliably neutralize this substance.
When to collect rowan
The timing of collection depends on your goal.
Before frost: berries are maximally saturated with vitamin C, but contain more bitterness. This is an ideal raw material for medicinal collections and drying.
After frost: the bitterness goes away, the berries become softer and sweeter, especially in dessert varieties (for example, Nevezhinskaya). However, vitamin C is partially destroyed.
How to prepare vitamin sauce for meat
Take a glass of rowan, freeze the berries for a day to remove most of the bitterness. To completely neutralize amygdalin, remove the seeds by rubbing the thawed berries through a fine sieve.
Place the prepared rowan into a blender, add a couple of cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp. spoon of sugar, 1 teaspoon of salt, 0.5 teaspoon of cinnamon, 2 tbsp. spoons of apple cider vinegar and a handful of lingonberries (optional).
Grind to small pieces. To fully guarantee safety, heat the sauce: this will kill the remaining amygdalin and allow the preparation to be rolled up for the winter. As a result, you will get an excellent sauce for meat products.
Conclusion
Proper freezing and a couple of minutes with a blender turn bitter rowan into an amazing sauce for meat, poultry and barbecue. Try this recipe at least once – and you will stop avoiding rowan.
Real reviews
Many people make not only sauce from rowan, but also jam.
“Very tasty apple jam with rowan. It is the rowan bitterness that gives the jam its original taste,” wrote Svetlana Dolmatova.
“I’m really drawn to rowan. In the fall, I’m just gathering food. I process the rest in a blender with sugar 1:1. As a result, all the preparations remain, but the rowan jam is completely eaten,” added Olga Lobanova.
