Medlar is a fruit plant whose homeland can be considered the northern coast of India, China and the Himalayas. This shrub loves a humid subtropical climate, so basically it can be found on the coasts, for example, in Russia it grows in the Sochi region. It also grows well in mountainous areas, so it is sometimes called rock loquat.
The fruits of this plant are unusually tasty and healthy, they are somewhat reminiscent of the taste of apple, strawberry and apricot. There are several varieties of varieties: medlar German, Japanese and ordinary. Its closest relatives can be considered hawthorn, pear, quince and aronia. Well, we already know a little the answer to the question: "Medlar: what is it?"
Beneficial features:
If you regularly eat medlar, it has a beneficial effect on overall health. It stabilizes pressure, significantly improves the work of the cardiovascular system, speeds up the process of tissue regeneration, as a result of which the skin, hair and nails look healthy. In addition, medlar (which is a healthy fruit, we already know) increases immunity, improves the functioning of the intestines and liver, removing all toxins from the body, as a result of which the level of cholesterol in the blood returns to normal. Also, eating this wonderful fruit prevents the onset of diabetes. After the festive feasts, medlar will also be an indispensable assistant, it helps to digest heavy foods faster, copes well and eliminates the feeling of heaviness in the stomach. Here are such useful properties of this product. In addition, medlar (what we already know) is useful not only for its fruits, but also for its leaves.
Therapeutic properties:
On the basis of leaves and berries, medlars learned to cook very useful and medicinal infusions and decoctions. They relieve many ailments, such as asthma, diarrhea, bronchitis, dysentery and various inflammatory diseases. Only a decoction is best made from unripe fruits and seeds.
Cooking Application:
Ripe fruits are used for making jam, jam, juice, compote and various oriental sweets. Also, medlar began to be widely used in the production of alcoholic beverages. Its juice is added to various liquors and wines. From the seeds, an excellent substitute for coffee is obtained. In addition, from the fruits of medlar you can cook very piquant sauces that go well with poultry. It is added to many fruit salads.
Jam from medlar. Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of medlar;
- 1-2 branches of cardamom;
- 350 g of sugar.
Cooking method:
Peel the berries from the seeds and peel, for this you just need to rinse with boiling water, and the peel is easily removed. Simmer until softened, and it must be shaken frequently. Add sugar, cardamom sprigs, bring to a boil and cook to the desired consistency. Put the finished jam in jars and cover with a lid. There is one secret: if you put nuts in the medlar (instead of seeds), then the jam from it will turn out to be very tender.
Conclusion
Well, now you all know about the medlar fruit: what it is, what beneficial properties it has, where it is used. Be sure to try it, you definitely will not regret it.