Candied citron

Generality

Candied citron is a sweet food, used as an ingredient for various desserts. In the common language one also speaks of citron .

It is a fruit-based product and falls into the categories of cooked and preserved foods.

Candied citron contains a considerable percentage of sugar (sucrose), added to the detriment of water, which is extracted by osmosis.

By means of cooking, candied citron loses the enzymatic pool typically responsible for fruit browning.

The low percentage of activity water (free water), the lack of enzymes and the scarcity of perishable molecules (such as unsaturated fatty acids), make candied citron a long-preservable product (even 1 year not sealed), even at temperature environment.

The use of candied citron in human nutrition should be of finishing, sweetening and garnishing; the average amount of consumption is normally quite low.

Some recipes that contain candied citron are: panettone, Sicilian cassata, cannoli, panforte, panpepato, Neapolitan pastiera etc.

Candied citron can be purchased or produced at home.

Nutritional Features

Candied citron is a very caloric food.

The energy comes almost exclusively from simple sugars, or sucrose.

The fibers are satisfactory, while cholesterol is absent.

As for vitamins and minerals, candied citron does not have much to offer. All the vitamins of the fresh fruit sensitive to temperature are lost, while the mineral salts tend to disperse outside during cooking in water.

It must be remembered that this is not a product suitable for ordinary food, especially in large portions.

In the case of overweight and metabolic diseases (especially hyperglycemia or type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia) should be avoided or replaced with fresh fruit (instead rich in water, minerals, vitamins, fiber and antioxidants).

Can promote tooth decay.

It does not contain lactose or gluten, which is why it has no contraindications to these food intolerances.

It lends itself to vegetarian and vegan philosophy.

The medium portion, wanting to use it as a "one-off" snack, must not exceed 50 g (about 90 kcal).

A prescription

For candying, the cedar is NOT used whole.

The skin is obtained, which is then cut into strips (without the white part).

NB . Usually, the pulp is placed on one side and used for other purposes.

In summary, the stripes cut into strips are boiled first by themselves and then several times in syrup (a saturated solution of water and table sugar).

The recipe could be summarized as follows.

Ingredients

500 g of cedar peel (untreated),
water QB (for the first boiling);
for the syrup:
- 250 ml of water,
- 500 g of granulated sugar.

Method

Boil a saucepan with plenty of water;
dip the skins and let them boil about 20 ';
drain everything;
in the same casserole, prepare the syrup by boiling (or rather, it must reach 110 ° C or make the thread) the 250 ml of water with the 500 g of sugar;
as soon as the sugar is completely melted, pull down from the heat and block the temperature with half a glass of cold water;
once the syrup is thickened and homogeneous, dip the rinds and leave them for 24 hours;
drain and replace the syrup to boil and proceed in a similar manner;
repeat a total of 4 times.

Background

Candied fruit is a preparation that dates back at least to the fourteenth century AD

The candying system was born in the Middle East; with the Arab domination of some parts of southern Europe it also entered the West (the first bibliographic traces date back to the 16th century).