What are candied fruits, many know today. Usually they are sold in the dried fruit department and at the same time are a very useful sweet. What are candied fruits made of? Mostly fruit. It can be pineapples, plums, dogwood, melon, cherry, papaya and much more.
The history of candied fruit
What candied fruits are made of, exactly the inhabitants of the East knew. It was from there that this sweetness came to us. At one time, residents of eastern countries learned to store exotic fruits in hot weather is not quite traditional. They boiled them in syrup and then dried. Thus candied fruit appeared. Initially, they appeared on the tables of only rich people, for a long time they were considered a luxury inaccessible to ordinary peasants. What can we say about the inhabitants of Europe, who did not even know for a long time about the existence of candied fruits there. Then the merchants began to earn a lot of money on such a product. They began to supply candied fruits to European countries, replenishing their wallets with decent amounts. Some time passed before the local craftsmen learned to cook candied fruits on their own.
If we talk about Russia, the real candied fruits appeared here much later, however, in the 14th century, local residents were already able to do something similar, the so-called “dry jam”. True, after the October Revolution they forgot about him, and then candied fruits went on sale, and there were no reasons for the return of old traditions. Currently candied fruits are widely used in cooking as additives and simply as a means of decoration.
How to make candied fruits
Today, in fact, the process of making candied fruit itself has not changed significantly. Fruits are pre-washed and dried well. Then they are dipped in saturated sugar syrup and cooked for a long time. At the next stage, the fruits, well soaked in syrup, go through drying, after which they become similar to what we can see in the store. As you already noticed, there is nothing complicated in making candied fruits yourself. What are candied fruits made of at home? From apples, plums, pears, cherries, cherries and much more. Candied oranges are obtained very tasty, or rather, from their peels, which we usually throw away.
Here's a simple recipe: Wash, dry and dry five or six oranges, then peel them and cut them into thin strips. Fold the crusts in a saucepan, pour cold water and cook for about twenty minutes. After that, the water is drained, and a new one is poured. So repeat 3-4 more times. This is necessary so that bitterness leaves the skin. Prepare sugar syrup from two glasses of sugar and one glass of water. Add in it butter in the amount of one tablespoon. Well, at the very end, lower the orange peel, continue cooking until the peel has absorbed most of the syrup.
After cooking, put the peel on a plate sprinkled with powdered sugar. That's all, delicious candied fruits are ready.
What are candied fruits made of? For example, you can make them from ginger. Take five hundred grams of ginger root (only very fresh), two and a half glasses of sugar.
Thinly chop the pulp of pre-peeled ginger. Fold the slices in a saucepan and fill with water (pour more water). Boil ginger for the first time without sugar, drain the water, and pour 2/3 cup of the new one instead. Also add sugar to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly. Cook until the slices of ginger become almost transparent and almost dry. Put slices on parchment, then on a greased grate. Put the slices in the oven to dry for thirty minutes. After that, roll them in sugar and dry them a little more. Candied ginger ready.
Be sure to try making candied apples and pears. In winter, when vitamins are already scarce, such dried fruits will be more useful than ever.