Vaida Kurpienė explained why you need to eat rhubarb, even if you don’t like it, but it is important to know one thing.

Rhubarb is a short-season vegetable. It is recommended to enjoy its petioles from the end of spring until the day of San Juan. Young rhubarb stalks are used as food, but the leaves cannot be eaten.

Nutritionist Vaida Kurpienė says rhubarb is a valuable low-calorie food, only 21 kcal / 100 g. Moderate consumption of rhubarb is an excellent source of fiber, vitamins K and C, manganese, potassium, antioxidants: polyphenols, beta-carotene, and anthocyanins. The latter are present only on the red stems, because it is the antioxidant anthocyanin that stains the petioles bright red.

“Fresh and young rhubarb stalks are rich in vitamin K, which is very important for strengthening bones and good blood clotting. Rhubarb also contains laxatives that stimulate intestinal activity, so eating them is recommended for those who complain of constipation, “says V. Kurpienė.

Worth knowing

Most of the calcium in rhubarb cannot be absorbed by our body. Calcium combines with oxalic acid to form calcium oxalate, which is especially useful for people with gout and kidney disease, such as. kidney stones.

Dietitian Vaida Kurpienė advises heating the rhubarb before consuming it and thus reducing the concentration of oxalic acid at least slightly. It begins to accumulate more oxalic acid in this vegetable during the summer, so it is recommended to enjoy rhubarb as soon as the season begins.

“To keep rhubarb fresh longer, it is best to wrap it in a damp paper towel or soak it when you bring it home. Then the shelf life in the refrigerator is extended several times,” advises Vaida Kurpienė.

Use: for both soups and ice cream

“Some people like to peel a petiole just to paint vegetables in sugar or honey and chew them green. Others of rhubarb boil compote or bake a cake. And third-party buyers are looking for various innovations and undiscovered recipes, constantly experimenting and surprising family and guests with the discoveries, “says Brigita Baratinskaitė, food expert at Maxima. When the weather is warm, the food expert suggests doing Thai rhubarb ice cream or soup with rhubarb stems at home, which can be eaten both hot and cold.

Rhubarb ice cream

You will need: 100 grams of fresh rhubarb, a glass of water, half a glass of sugar, a teaspoon of grated orange peel, a little fresh grated ginger and a little salt.
Peeled rhubarb stalks should be cut into small pieces and placed in a pot. Then pour water, add sugar, grated orange peel, ginger, and a pinch of salt. Cover and heat until boiling. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, to dissolve the sugar and soften the rhubarb pieces. Then remove from heat and cool. Crush with a crusher into a solid mass and pour it into molds or a container in which the ice cream freezes. After a few hours in the freezer, the dough will turn into ice cream, which will be nice to cool off on a warm, sunny day.

Thai rhubarb and carrot soup

With rhubarb, make a soup that can be eaten cold: the dish will cool down, and if it is eaten hot it will heat up.

You will need: 100 grams of fresh rhubarb, 2 onions, 3-4 carrots, 2 cloves of garlic, a slice of fresh ginger, a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, a teaspoon of cumin seeds, a teaspoon of coriander seeds, a teaspoon of coriander seeds, 400 milliliters milk, 3 tablespoons of green lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce.

Lightly fry the finely chopped onions in oil until soft. Then add chopped carrots, minced garlic and ginger, ground cumin, and coriander seeds. Heat for about a minute. Pour in the broth, add the pieces of rhubarb, pour in the coconut milk and lime juice, the fish sauce. Stir and wait over low heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the carrots are soft.

“If you want real Asian spice, rub a piece of jalapeño pepper with a grinder while rubbing the soup. Serve the soup cold or hot, garnish with fresh herbs: basil leaves or coriander. Delicious! ”, B. Baratinskaitė shares the recipe.