Rhubarb

The greenish to slightly reddish rhubarb is often made into compotes and cakes and enchants with its pleasantly mild acidity. The slightly sour taste of rhubarb is primarily due to the malic and citric acid it contains. Rhubarb is mistakenly counted as a fruit - probably because of its slightly sweet and fruity taste - but in the botanical sense it is a vegetable…

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Botany
ingredients
Use and preparation
storage

Botany

The rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) belongs to the knotweed family (Polygonaceae) and has fleshy stems with broad leaves. The perennial can grow up to a meter high and with its large leaves up to 1.5 meters wide. There are red and green meat varieties, but the red stems are more popular because they taste mildly tender and contain less harmful oxalic acid (see ingredients). Since the oxalic acid content increases sharply from around mid-June, rhubarb should not be harvested later.

The main rhubarb season is between April and mid-June.

Note A rhubarb shrub can easily thrive in the garden in the same location for up to ten years and provide edible stems.

ingredients

Rhubarb is low in calories and contains many vitamins, including vitamin C, vitamin K and the minerals potassium and calcium. The anthocyanins (dyes) responsible for the red coloration of some varieties are secondary plant substances and have numerous health-promoting properties. You can find more information under phytochemicals.

The slightly sour taste of rhubarb is primarily due to the malic and citric acid it contains. The oxalic acid it also contains reduces the bioavailability of calcium in the event of excessive intake. Among other things, this has a negative impact on bone metabolism. Oxalic acid can lead to the formation of kidney stones and can cause gastrointestinal complaints in sensitive people. However, if rhubarb is eaten in normal quantities, this is not a problem. It is advisable to combine rhubarb with foods rich in calcium, such as dairy products. Oxalic acid is mainly found in large amounts in the leaves, so they should not be eaten. Green-meat varieties have a higher content of oxalic acid.

For more information, see Diet for Osteoporosis.

ingredients	per 100 g edible portion, raw	ingredients	per 100 g edible portion, raw
Energy (kcal)	13	Iron (mg)	0.5
Fat (g)	0.1	Vitamin A (µg)	10
Protein (g)	0.6	Vitamin B1 (mg)	0.02
Carbohydrates (g)	1.4	Vitamin B2 (mg)	0.03
Dietary fiber (g)	3.2	Niacin (mg)	0.2
Potassium (mg)	270	Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.04
Calcium (mg)	52	Vitamin C (mg)	10
Magnesium (mg)	13	Vitamin E (mg)	0.3

Use and preparation

Only the fleshy stalks of the rhubarb are used. Since the stems grow close to the ground, they should be washed well. If the stems are particularly fibrous, the threads can be pulled off. It doesn't have to be peeled. Rhubarb should not be eaten raw. It is blanched or cooked in a little water, which also reduces the oxalic acid content. The cooking water should no longer be used. The thinner and more tender the stems, the less time it needs to be cooked.

With its sweet and sour taste and its mostly delicate consistency, rhubarb is ideal as an ingredient in tarts or cakes. The sheet cake with a protein cover and rhubarb topping is typical. Its fine aroma goes well with sour-spicy preparations with fish or meat, for example. As a compote or as an ingredient in jam, rhubarb can be kept well. Drinks such as juice can also be made from rhubarb.

storage

Rhubarb is difficult to store. It should therefore best be freshly harvested or bought at short notice and then processed soon. The best thing to do is to wrap it in a slightly damp cloth and put it in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. But be careful: rhubarb rots and molds quickly - so it is important to keep it air-permeable and only for a few days. Rhubarb can also be frozen - it doesn't have to be blanched beforehand. Cut into small pieces, possibly peeled, and then frozen in freezer bags or containers.

When shopping, look for fresh cuts and shiny, firm stems. The thinner the rhubarb stalks, the more delicate the taste and the fewer fibers.