What are
What are the bruscandoli?
The bruscandoli are foods of plant origin that fall within the set of shoots of edible wild herbs - other examples are: wild asparagus, butcher's broom, vitalba, bramble etc.
Others that grow in the wild, of which however the leaves are eaten, are: wild chicory, wild radicchio, grugni, dandelion, etc.
Of the VI-VII fundamental group of foods, the bruscandoli are low-calorie, rich in fiber and water, and probably contain useful levels of potassium, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and retinol equivalent (provitamin A, probably carotenoids). The content of phytochemicals with antioxidant power such as flavonoids and tannins is certainly appreciable.
The bruscandoli do not have dietary contraindications, except for hypersensitivity of an allergic nature. They are highly digestible and lend themselves to the nutritional regime of: healthy, overweight and also suffering from metabolic diseases. It cannot be excluded that they contain anti-nutritional substances such as phytates and oxalates; fortunately, most of these would still be inactivated by cooking.
The bruscandoli are available only in spring. They are normally cooked after boiling, in boiling water or steam, and eaten hot or cold, natural or seasoned soberly. They can be an ingredient for more complex recipes such as, for example, risotto with bruscandoli and bruscandoli omelette. It is advisable to avoid catching them where they can come into contact with crop pesticides or excessive environmental pollution - for example on the roadside.
The name "bruscandolo" derives from its organoleptic and taste characteristics. Containing bittering molecules, the same ones that give the typical taste to beer, in the dialectal language - low Venetian and high Emilian - are called "a little brusque", from which "bruscandolo".
Did you know that ...
From the etymological point of view, it is no coincidence that, in the same areas, many call simply "bruschi" or "brusc" the butcher's sprouts - even more bitter than bruscandoli.
The harvesting of the bruscandoli should be done with the first temperature rises, in spring, taking care to take only the 20 cm ends of each stem. Those that are fully developed because of a woody consistency should be avoided - despite the more intense flavor. These last ones are recognizable from the more intense color, from the rigid consistency, from the superficial hair and from the more developed leaves.
From the botanical point of view, the bruscandoli are nothing but the tender growth bumps of the thin climbing stems - improperly defined shoots - of the wild hop, a herbaceous plant climbing of the botanical family Cannabaceae, genus Humulus, lupulus species and lupulus variety. In Italy it grows spontaneously - but can be cultivated - mainly in the north, near watercourses, in the shade or with partial exposure, up to a maximum altitude of 1200 m; the preferred climate is temperate - not too windy - and requires fairly fertile soil.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of bruscandoli
Warning! Nutritional information on bruscandoli is very limited. The most authoritative sources on the chemical content of foods do not report enough accurate details and therefore what will be explained below must be understood as a hypothesis, albeit very plausible.
The bruscandoli could be included both in the VI - fruit and vegetables rich in vitamin A - in VII - fruit and vegetables rich in vitamin C - fundamental group of foods.
They should have a very low calorie intake, between 15-20 kcal / g. Energy is supplied mainly by soluble glucides, followed by irrelevant amounts of low biological value proteins and unsaturated fatty acids.
The fibers are hypothetically abundant, with a good percentage of soluble type. Bruscandoli are cholesterol-free and rich in phytosterols, which have a tendentially opposite metabolic effect. They do not contain the molecules mainly responsible for scientifically diagnosable food intolerances, such as gluten, lactose and histamine. They should also be poor in phenylalanine and purine amino acids. It cannot be ruled out that they may contain certain antinutritional agents, mainly consisting of phytic and oxalic acid and their derivatives (phytates and oxalates), which however decrease significantly after cooking.
As for the vitamins, bruscandoli probably contain excellent concentrations of retinol equivalents (RAE - provitamin A), mainly consisting of carotenoids, and considerable levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). The level of vitamin K, vitamin E (alpha tocopherol) and folic acid - water-soluble in group B may also be good.
With regard to mineral salts, it is logical to infer that potassium levels are especially noticeable; if it were to be in line with other foods of the same kind, the concentrations of calcium, iron - little bioavailable - magnesium, manganese and phosphorus could be relevant. However, it must be specified that part of it can remain chelated in the above anti-nutritional agents. Moreover, all water-soluble compounds tend to be diluted in drowning - for this reason, it would be advisable to cook the bruscandoli by steaming.
There is a fair concentration of antioxidant phytotherapic molecules of non-vitaminic origin, such as flavonoids and tannins - also the latter, with a slight anti-nutritional function on protein digestion.
Diet
Bruscandoli in the diet
Bruscandoli, like most vegetables, lend themselves to all diets of healthy people.
Poor sugars and energy, they have no contraindications for overweight, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia. In normal portions, they are harmless even for those suffering from gastric diseases. The dietary fibers they contain perform numerous beneficial functions for the body. Especially soluble ones - such as inulin - properly associated with water, can:
- Increase the mechanical gastric stimulation of satiety
- Modulate nutritional absorption - reducing insulin glycemic surge and hindering the absorption-reabsorption of cholesterol and bile salts
- Prevent or cure constipation / constipation.
This last aspect, essential for the health of the intestine, participates in considerably reducing the chances of carcinogenesis of the colon, but also of many other discomforts such as: hemorrhoids, anal fissures and anal prolapse, diverticulosis and diverticulitis, etc. It should also be remembered that soluble fibers constitute a nutritional substrate for intestinal bacterial flora; maintaining the trophism of the microbiota, whose metabolism releases important nutritional factors for the mucosa, the health of the large intestine is further promoted.
Provitamins A, vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids and tannins have an important antioxidant role. In addition to counteracting the action of free radicals - guilty of cellular aging - these nutritional elements are considered useful in the treatment of various metabolic disorders - including dyslipidemia. Vitamin K, on the other hand, is an essential anti-haemorrhagic factor. Folate is necessary for the formation of nucleic acids, a very important process during gestation.
The richness of water, potassium and magnesium helps to improve the body's hydro-saline balance - which becomes precarious above all with increasing sweating, for example in the case of intense and prolonged sports - and supports the pharmacological treatment of hypertension primary arterial. Water and minerals are two nutritional factors that are often lacking even in old age. Manganese, on the other hand, has important functions as a metal-enzymatic constituent and an enzymatic activation. Calcium and phosphorus, of which the body has a fairly high requirement, are constituents necessary for bone hydroxyapatite and also perform numerous other functions; however, bruscandoli can not be considered a primary nutritional source of calcium.
The bruscandoli have no contraindications for: celiac disease, lactose intolerance, histamine intolerance, phenylketonuria and hyperuricemia. In case of pregnancy, regardless of tastes and gastronomic value, it is inadvisable to eat raw bruscandoli. The potential content of oxalates requires subjects with a tendency to kidney stones - in particular, renal lithiasis with calcium oxalate stones - not to exceed the portion and the frequency of consumption of the bruscandoli, and to eat them exclusively cooked.
It is advisable to avoid bruscandoli caught in cultivated land - for example in an orchard - or on the road, due to the potential retention of pesticides and pollutants.
It has no limitations in the vegetarian and vegan diet - even raw food - the same applies to philosophies and / or religions of all kinds. The average portion of bruscandoli is 100-200 g (about 15-35 kcal).
Kitchen
How are bruscandoli cooked?
The bruscandoli should not be eaten raw, but not overcooked either. The most suitable solution is undoubtedly that of a rapid boiled in water at 100 ° C, or a passage to intense steam. Absolutely avoid the pressure cooker, useless and detrimental. Some like them stir-fried, but if the twigs are not really "very young", they tend to remain woody on the outside.
Bruscandoli are an excellent side dish. You can eat hot or cold, in salads. The dressing, which is absolutely optional, generally consists of a drizzle of oil or a knob of melted butter and very little ground black pepper; if necessary, a splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar may be appreciated. To avoid grated cheese, which would cover the taste.
Then there are some more elaborate recipes that contain bruscandoli, both raw and boiled. The most famous is probably the risotto ai bruscandoli. Here the twigs are washed and browned separately with a little white onion before the rice; then remove and, in the same saucepan, start cooking a normal risotto - carnaroli variety. After blending with white wine, together with the addition of vegetable broth, it is possible to add the bruscandoli and finish cooking.
The second best known is instead the omelette, or omelette, with boiled bruscandoli. There are no warnings to follow, other than to add them already fully cooked.
Description
Short description of the bruscandoli
The bruscandoli are the young and tender vertices - the last 20 cm - of the rhizomatous climbing twigs produced by the wild hop plant. They are harvested in the medium spring period - depending on the climate.
They have a thin stem and bark, with a color that oscillates from green to reddish and then to violet. The young leaves and the apical bud are green.
The main characteristic of bruscandoli is the bitter taste; the flavor, on the other hand, is rather characteristic, but reminiscent of other spontaneous such as the vitalba, butcher's broom and bramble.
Botany
Elements of botany of the bruscandoli
The bruscandoli are produced from the hop plant. There are various types of the latter, more or less widespread in all the continents with our same latitudes. The botanical family is that of the Cannabaceae, the Genus Humulus and the lupulus species; in Italy the lupulus variety is widespread.
This herbaceous plant, which develops in a similar way to the vitalba and the bramble, shares both the soil and the climate with them. It prefers a rich, fertile soil, better if its consistency is not too compact and in conjunction with water courses. The climate, on the other hand, should be temperate, not too windy and not too humid, with altitudes between 0 and 1200 m; love the shade or partial exposure. It has deciduous broadleaf trees.
That of bruscandoli is however an extremely rustic plant and, if desired, easy to grow. In addition to food use, flowers can be used to flavor beer.
