Cranberries, A Superfood That Tastes Great And Is Great For Your Health.

What is the 'cranberry berry', and is it really so wonderful?

The Cranberry bush is a nice looking evergreen dwarf shrub frequently found growing wild in bitter bogs in the less warmer parts of northern climes.

The cranberry 'berry' begins as a surprising pale white, but as it grows and becomes ripe it changes gradually to a vibrant crimson hue.

Even though it is actually a member of exactly the same botanical group as the blaeberry, whortleberry, whinberry and blueberry, the cranberry berry is somewhat much more acidic, and this helps to act as a counterbalance to the fruity sweetness, a fact which puts it in that strange niche in the culinary universe of ingredients that can be served with meat and poultry based meals and cakes, cookies, fruits, pastries and candies.

Cranberries probably get their name as a result of the belief that they are often eaten by cranes (ie 'crane-berry') - although a few folklore experts adhere to the theory that the real origin is based on the fact that in the the early stages of the plant's development, it looks a little bit like the shape of the crane. No matter what the real etymology, the name 'cranberry' is now renowned through the whole world.

Cranberries are now a huge financial crop in many northern US States, and enjoy a distinct place in The traditional culture of the US as they were believed to have been given to starving settlers by the original native inhabitants. As a result, cranberry sauce is a vital ingredient in the beloved thanksgiving meal prepared by countless Americans ever since.

Most of the annual cranberry production is turned into cranberry juice and cranberry jelly, but a greater proportion of it is nowadays being traded in its raw and unprocesed form due to medical claims that cranberry is one of the 'superfoods', and believed to have very good nutrient content and antioxidant qualities.

In early days, cranberry berries were mostly grown in 'beds' in moisture rich swamp, however recently cultivation has moved to highland locations with a shallow water table. In these regions, contrary to the percieved wisdom, the beds are not kept permanently submerged but are continually irrigated to keep a high moisture level in the ground.

Cranberry juice is now popular every country, and as an alternative to the better known 'scarlet' juice, is also sold as a white juice made from less mature fruit.

Medical properties of cranberries

Some people think that cranberry juice has medicinal properties that help in reducing bacterial infections in the urinary tract.

Additionally, the cranberry has been usedl in dealing with other health problems, such as a remedy for open wounds, diarrhoea, diabetes mellitus, tummy aches, and as a tonic for a healthful liver. A bit of research has been completed that indicates that daily drinking of cranberry berry juice might help lower the chances of heart problems.

As with all similar medicinal claims, you should exercise extreme skepticism - medical opinion is still divided and the most sensible reason for eating these tasty berries is the observable fact they really actually taste good! As noted already, cranberry berries are used in making both sweet and savoury meals, with an extremely popular use being as an accompaniment to the traditional roast turkey. Don't let this 'traditional' use put you off though, cranberry berries are also quite superb when used in sweet dishes.

If you want to try cooking some flavorsome recipes for cranberry there are plenty of these tasty recipes on the internet, but in case you can't wait, here is a tasty cranberry recipe:

Delicious cranberry crumble recipe

Ingredients

one Orange (thick skinned)

one cup of water

1/2 cup Granulated sugar (or equivalent low carb sugar substitute)

4 cup Cranberry berries

1 tbsp Unsalted butter

1 package Biscuit dough (to produce 8 biscuits).

Directions

Finely grate the orange rind. Put the remainder of the orange through a juicer. Combine juice, the grated rind, water, granulated sugar (or equivalent low carb sugar substitute), these tasty berries & butter (far better than margarine) in a medium non-stick pan. Heat until boiling and cook for 1 min until you are left with a thick sauce.

Split the cranberry sauce evenly among 8 greased oven-proof dishes or even into a medium sized casserole dish. Put the biscuit dough on top of the cranberry sauce.

Oven bake at 230 c (450 f) for 10 min, turn down heat setting and bake at 180 c (350 f) for another 20 mins.

8 servings.

Each portion is less than 100 calories

Article Source: http://articles411.com

R.Wakefield is an editor at: recipe ideas, which offers cooks and amateur chefs a selection of recipes for cranberries that are easy to prepare at home.

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