Apple butter
Apple butter (also: apple syrup or short herb) is a traditional sweet bread spread, the earlier in the Rhineland, the Belgian province of Limburg and the Dutch province of Limburg had a considerable economic importance.
It is in principle to be cooked with or without added sugar juice from apples, in its preparation and juice from other fruits, mostly pears, and various condiments can be added. " Apple butter " as a trade name in the German food trade refers to a product made from apples, pears or a limited addition of sugars is allowed.
History
The production of apple butter is linked to the cultivation of apple culture. Many aspects of everyday culture of earlier times is difficult to open up the retrospective, which also applies to the production of apple butter. As far as using historical literature, the history of the apple herb is dated back to ancient times, confusion is not excluded with the designated also as " apple butter " medicinal plant chamomile or other apple products.
In earlier times, apple butter was one of the few ways to preserve fruit and to obtain an energy-rich food available in winter.
Prior to the development of industrial production apple butter was made in the local press or herb herb kitchens. In some fruit growing regions, each village had its own herb press, but also the production in the peasant household was common. Often the herb cooking was a social event to which the whole village came together after the apple harvest. The term " herb press " is based on a step of crafting, in which the several hours cooked fruit is pressed. The juice thus obtained is sieved and further boiled.
At the beginning of the 20th century in Germany there was a short-lived attempt to industrially produce a sweet spread made from apple pomace and market them as apple butter or apple Bavarian herb. The reason for these enterprises was the desire to find other ways as livestock feed and the farm distillery for the recycling of waste product residue. The industry saw the opportunity to use a cheaper raw material than fresh fruit in production, pomace and imported from the USA. This syrup was added to sweeten. A success was due to quality defects and less acceptance from the customers.
With the industrialization of fruit processing achieved the production of apple butter and related products in the fruit-growing regions, especially in the Lower Rhine, a considerable economic importance as an employer and as a purchaser of farm fruit crops.
Today's meaning
Today Apple butter is on the one hand an industrially manufactured mass product, which is manufactured and marketed mainly in the Rhineland and the adjoining Belgian and Dutch provinces.
In the course of the last few decades, growing appreciation of cultural artifacts such as ancient crafts and old fruit and vegetables, the importance of products such as apple butter increased again. So was the late 1970s, in Belgium the last pay Kocher his craft, but still in the same decade there were some enthusiasts who took up the old craft again and continue to this day in small scale.
Another important role of the Slow Food movement, which campaigns targeted for the regional cuisine, the use of domestic agricultural products and their local, artisanal production. Today, apple butter is no longer just a sweet spread, which is sometimes used in home cooking in sauces such Rheinische Sauerbraten or as a side dish for potato pancakes, but occasionally an ingredient in the gastronomy.
The most important region of Central European apple butter production is consistent across linguistic and political boundaries largely with the Euregio Meuse -Rhine. Major products in this area include the Rheinische Apfelkraut, the sirop de Liège or Delice de Liège from the area around Liège ( with a higher proportion pears and dates), and the Traditionele Ambachtelijke Limburgse Stroop from the Dutch province of Limburg. " Rhenish Apple herb PGI " is since 2012 a protected geographical indication (PGI).
In Switzerland (not to be confused with the fermented must concentrate from Provence ) or Raisinée is in the cantons of Fribourg and Vaud under the names vin cuit an herb from fruit juice produced, which is concentrated over a wood fire 24 hours. Depending on the region apple, pear or grape juice is used for the production.
In some regions of the U.S. and Canada Apfelkraut has a great cultural and historical significance as apple butter. The " invention" of the apple herb is also the Pennsylvania Dutch in the 17th century, attributed mostly to the settlers in the New England states, but ( under the name Lattwaerick ) and the Mennonites. To date, at harvest time great popular festivals are organized as apple butter festival in these regions each year.
Raw materials
According to the German Food Code ( Guidelines for Fruit products ) is made of apple butter in the press method derived, thickened juice from healthy, fresh and steamed or cooked fruit, the sugars also can be added. 1.000 g of apple butter is made from at least 2,700 g of fruit (apples and pears), of which at least 2,100 g of apples, as well as more than 400 g sugars. Apple butter is brown to dark brown and at 18 ° C spreadable. It tastes fruity and sweet and contain no bitter or burnt note.
The Guidelines for Fruit products specify further that " apple butter " the sales description of the described product is. It follows that products that have been manufactured from a higher proportion of pears or sugars, may not be offered and sold as " apple butter " in Germany. The same applies to fruit herb with the addition of other fruit juices or, with the addition of spices any kind, and with the addition of pectin. Terms such as " apple - pear syrup ", " apple - beet syrup " or " fruit herb" however, allowed for such products. In the Netherlands, apple - beet syrup is distributed under the name "rinse Appelstroop " ( sweet and sour apple butter ).
In the language of the definition of apple butter to other fruit Krauten is not so strict. Deviations, even in traditional products such as apple butter in the U.S. are caused by that the type of fruit used and their share in the historic farming and handicraft production was strongly influenced by the local availability of raw materials and the harvest results. There were taste preferences of producers. A variant of Liege, the sirop de Liège contains 35% pears, apples 20%, 10 % and 35 % sugar dates.
The natural pectin content of Apples support the gelling of the product. Pears were formerly used as an ingredient for the apple butter, because they have a little shelf life and must be swiftly realized. In addition, pear juice has a higher sugar content than apple juice, this improved the durability of the product and made it sweeter. On the other hand, it must pear syrup apples contain, as the pectin content of pears alone is too low to achieve the desired gelation.
Nutritional values in comparison
These are average nutritional values, the values are subject to normal variations in natural products.