Best Rhubarb recipe? Eating it raw in Norway!
'Sid why don't you try this?', TI asked.
Already devastated with the lack of champagne at the reception, I looked suspiciously at the bottle which contained a fizzy pink soda like liquid. I guess my disappointment showed, and so TI added, 'This is something really local and special to this part of the world. It's from a plant called Rhubarb which grows in the backyard of almost all Scandinavians. Right now is its season and you won't get it at any other time of the year. Try it out.'
Now I was intrigued and decided to pick the bottle and take some quick gulps of this refreshing drink. In a way I was glad there was no champagne as with it around there was no chance I would have tried something so local (while champagne comes from far away France).
Two weeks later as we all sat together after dinner to enjoy sun (haha...some new habits have to be developed when you are in Norway), Rhubarb came up again in the discussion and I asked TI if he had it in his garden right now as well. Quite enthusiastically he took us around and showed Rhubarb plants. In fact he even suggested that we must try it as well, just as he did as a kid more than thirty years back - Rhubarb dipped in sugar!
But what exactly is Rhubarb?
Well Rhubarb is actually a vegetable but it's often treated and eaten as fruit. It has think stalk which is green or red and color and wide open canopy like leaves. But beware - the leaves are poisonous and must be discarded. The stems, on the other hand, are fleshy and juicy, though with a tart taste. Most often the stems are cleaned and used for making delicacies like tarts or crumbles.
The plant is often tiny and almost everyone with a garden, at least in Norway, grows it. It grows very easily and its flavor depends on exposure to sun.
Eating Rubarb like kids :)
Coming back to my romance with Rhubarb, once we decided to eat it like kids, the next few steps were easy. TI cut a few stems for us, and I helped him in washing and peeling them. Peeling is important to remove the small thorns which can be present on the stem. We took small cups and a bowl of sugar, and voila!, we were ready to be kids! Well, at least that's how kids in Norway grow up - they eat many dishes made with Rhubarb during summers, but often their favourite is to eat the stems dipped in dry sugar. Think of it like what we do with raw mangoes in India, also something that's typically done by kids.
As we all took bites of tangy stems dipped in sugar, our senses opened up! TI confessed that he was eating it like this for the first time since they were kids!
Before I finish, let me make another confession - the best food that I ate in Stavanger was also something made with Rhubarb - a crumble pudding at TI's place :)
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Oh by the way, this is a part of my mini-series, #StavangerDiaries - tiny stories of daily life from the Oil capital of Norway, Stavanger. And what am I doing here? Well, mostly working, but also collecting these snippets of life.
Here are some of the others in the series:
Little boy and the swans...
Potholes, strangers and randomness
Random street art from Stavanger
Breakfast at Skagen Bakery
Curious window of Per Inge's house
Already devastated with the lack of champagne at the reception, I looked suspiciously at the bottle which contained a fizzy pink soda like liquid. I guess my disappointment showed, and so TI added, 'This is something really local and special to this part of the world. It's from a plant called Rhubarb which grows in the backyard of almost all Scandinavians. Right now is its season and you won't get it at any other time of the year. Try it out.'
 |
| Rhubarb stems |
Two weeks later as we all sat together after dinner to enjoy sun (haha...some new habits have to be developed when you are in Norway), Rhubarb came up again in the discussion and I asked TI if he had it in his garden right now as well. Quite enthusiastically he took us around and showed Rhubarb plants. In fact he even suggested that we must try it as well, just as he did as a kid more than thirty years back - Rhubarb dipped in sugar!
But what exactly is Rhubarb?
Well Rhubarb is actually a vegetable but it's often treated and eaten as fruit. It has think stalk which is green or red and color and wide open canopy like leaves. But beware - the leaves are poisonous and must be discarded. The stems, on the other hand, are fleshy and juicy, though with a tart taste. Most often the stems are cleaned and used for making delicacies like tarts or crumbles.
 |
| Rhubarb plant |
The plant is often tiny and almost everyone with a garden, at least in Norway, grows it. It grows very easily and its flavor depends on exposure to sun.
Eating Rubarb like kids :)
Coming back to my romance with Rhubarb, once we decided to eat it like kids, the next few steps were easy. TI cut a few stems for us, and I helped him in washing and peeling them. Peeling is important to remove the small thorns which can be present on the stem. We took small cups and a bowl of sugar, and voila!, we were ready to be kids! Well, at least that's how kids in Norway grow up - they eat many dishes made with Rhubarb during summers, but often their favourite is to eat the stems dipped in dry sugar. Think of it like what we do with raw mangoes in India, also something that's typically done by kids.
 |
| Freshly cut Rhubarb stems |
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| Peeling off the stems |
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| Rhubarb stems with a bowl of sugar :) |
As we all took bites of tangy stems dipped in sugar, our senses opened up! TI confessed that he was eating it like this for the first time since they were kids!
Before I finish, let me make another confession - the best food that I ate in Stavanger was also something made with Rhubarb - a crumble pudding at TI's place :)
----------
Oh by the way, this is a part of my mini-series, #StavangerDiaries - tiny stories of daily life from the Oil capital of Norway, Stavanger. And what am I doing here? Well, mostly working, but also collecting these snippets of life.
Here are some of the others in the series:
Little boy and the swans...
Potholes, strangers and randomness
Random street art from Stavanger
Breakfast at Skagen Bakery
Curious window of Per Inge's house
I love rhubarb, cooked though. We have had it growing in our garden for years.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice Sunday!
I love the cooked version too...but was very surprised how good the raw version tasted :)
DeleteNever eaten rhubarb but its one of those things I really want to try! On Masterchef Australia they often use it to make desserts. I had no clue what it is. I didn't know the leaves were poisonous! Lovely finding out so much about rhubarbs. :)
ReplyDeleteI also had no clue what Rhubarb it till I had it's drink in Copenhagen! I am now a fan though :)
DeleteWe use it very often here in Poland but mostly baked od cooked
ReplyDeleteI am sure you make delicious desserts with it :)
Delete