In midsummer, beautiful dark blue buds called Blackberries appear among the green leaves of a very common Mediterranean shrub.
They come from a plant that belongs to the Rosaceae family (like the beautiful and better-known Rose of a Thousand Colours) and have some really interesting nutritional characteristics.
The dark blue aggregated fruits (poly drupes) are harvested from this plant. If harvested early, they are rather sour with an astringent taste, while if eaten when fully ripe, they are very sweet thanks to the good amount of fructose.
Thanks to their favourable caloric density, they are, in balanced consumption, an ally of the daily summer diet during the 30-40 days of ripening on the plant, so don't miss out on trying them.
the opportunity to try them.
Among the nutritional characteristics that deserve highlighting we can mention the good amount of water (about 80-85%) that make them excellent for the preparation of centrifuges and juices or jams, a good amount of fibre (about 3-4% in the total value) useful if combined with water and physical exercise for cases of constipation, vitamin C is present as in most red fruits.
However, polyphenols (tannins and anthocyanins in particular) are the most important feature of these fruits, due to their antioxidant power.
The only warning for people suffering from diverticula due to the small seeds contained in the polydrupa, which can inflame the intestine with excessive consumption.
TASTY SKEWERS
Ingredients (for 2 persons):
Blackberries 100g
Cut melon 100g
Mozzarella chunks 120g
Cherry tomatoes 100g
Juice of half a lemon
Extra virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Mint or basil leaves to taste
Food skewers
Preparation:
Dice the melon about 2 cm on each side, place it in a bowl and mix it with a little lemon juice.
Divide the cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a bowl, mixing with the extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of cooking salt.
Begin to compose the skewer by playing with textures and flavours to stimulate all tastes from sweet to salty, from bitter to sour; so, start with the blackberry followed by the melon and then the mozzarella, the cherry tomato half and the mint or basil leaf.
Enjoy the tasting!
(Article by Dr Gallo Paolo)
