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Sugar Withdrawal: What Effectively Helps Against Sugar Addiction

Too much sugar can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and the so-called metabolic syndrome. Nevertheless, almost everyone likes to grab chocolate, gummy bears or sweet drinks. Is it the sugar addiction?

Sugar is not healthy and we eat far too much of it – everyone knows that by now. Whether sugar can be addictive and whether there is a sugar addiction is discussed in science.

Does Sugar Addiction Exist?

There are already a number of studies that deal with sugar addiction. Prof. Falk Kiefer from the University of Heidelberg used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look inside the brains of overweight people. He found that our brain reacts differently to apples than to sweets: the high-sugar foods activate the reward system. Similar to alcohol or other addictive substances, the brain releases more dopamine. Dopamine is known as a kind of happiness hormone. Nevertheless, Prof. Kiefer does not speak of a sugar addiction. However, there is no question that sugar can trigger addiction-like behavior.

Other studies have tested the link between sugar and addiction in rats. High sugar consumption caused brain changes in the rats. This later led to a craving for sweets. However, it remains unclear whether the result can also be transferred to humans.

Where does sugar addiction come from?

We live in a time when sugar is available anytime, anywhere. That was not the case before. The five tastes of bitter, salty, sour, umami (savory) and sweet were used by our ancestors to judge whether something was edible or poisonous. Poisonous plants are often bitter, unripe ones often sour. A sweet taste, on the other hand, means that something is ripe and edible. No wonder we love sugar and can’t resist it.

But our problem today is that we can hardly avoid sugar. It is omnipresent and available at all times. If you want to try avoiding sugar and reducing your cravings, Utopia shows you a number of helpful tricks.

Sugar withdrawal tip 1: Eat sensible food

Sounds banal, but it is important: try to eat as wholesome and healthy as possible. Dietary fibers from green vegetables or whole grain bread and proteins from legumes keep you full for longer. And you’ll get cravings less quickly.

Also watch out for hidden sugar in food: Sugar can be added to convenience products, bread, yoghurt or supposedly healthy fruit bars. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be called “sugar”: Sugar is also hidden behind sucrose, lactose, fructose (sirup), fructose, glucose (syrup), dextrose, invert sugar (syrup), dextrose or (malto)dextrins .

Sugar withdrawal tip 2: Eat regularly

Breakfast, lunch, dinner: These three meals should definitely be included. The longer you go without a meal, the more likely you are to crave sweets. And if you get hungry in the meantime: try fruit. Of course, fruit also contains sugar, which you want to avoid during sugar withdrawal. However, fruit is not as sweet as table sugar and also contains many important vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Sugar withdrawal, tip 3: Sweetener as a sugar substitute?

D rather not. Sweeteners are at least as sweet as sugar. So you won’t be able to get rid of the sweet taste from the sugar substitute. In addition, some sweeteners are not recommended: the sweeteners aspartame, acesulfame and cyclamate are suspected of having an appetizing effect and the consumer centers advise against consuming larger quantities. It is better to gradually reduce the amount of sugar as you withdraw from it.

Sugar withdrawal, tip 4: Sport against sugar addiction

The next time you get cravings, lace up your sneakers. Because when you exercise, your body releases the same feelings of happiness as it does with sugar. Especially when you go to your limits and it gets really exhausting, feelings of elation set in. In addition, the feelings of happiness last longer. You’ll still feel energetic and happy hours later, unless you’ve completely exhausted yourself by exercising.

Which sport you choose is up to you. The main thing is to exercise and have fun.

Sugar withdrawal tip 5: Get enough sleep

After a good workout you can sometimes sleep like a baby. And that’s a good thing: those who have had a good night’s sleep have less of a need for sweets to keep themselves awake and active.

The subject of sleep is often underestimated in everyday life. Not getting enough sleep can lead to a vicious circle: You are tired, so you eat sweets, you wake up for a short time, your blood sugar level takes a roller coaster ride. Then you won’t be able to fall asleep at night and the fun starts all over again.

Better get seven to eight hours of sleep, and you might not even think about your cravings, and the sugar withdrawal will go just fine.

Sugar withdrawal, tip 6: risk factor stress

Many people eat sweets because they are stressed. But chocolate & co. are not conducive to relaxation and sugar withdrawal quickly turns into a failure. After a stressful day, you should rather go out into the fresh air or get your mind off things when you talk to friends on the phone.

Or you try to counteract the causes of stress: For example, try to manage your working hours more efficiently so that you don’t drown in tasks. Or talk about it with the people who are causing you problems – for example, if someone in the family or close friends is the trigger of your stress.

Sugar withdrawal tip 7: Drink water if you are addicted to sugar

When cravings get you and you don’t have trainers handy, what then? Sugar attacks are often not as bad as we think. Try it with a large glass of water (or two or three…).

You can also feel really full of it, it will pass quickly. And? Still craving sweets?

Sugar withdrawal tip 8: Ban sweets from your reach

No matter how disciplined you are with sugar withdrawal, do you clear out all the cupboards when you get addicted to sugar? Then banish the seductive content elsewhere. Hide the candy in a place that’s hard to get to and doesn’t always catch your eye—like way back on a large closet. In the long run, however, only helps to get rid of the sweetness completely. Give it away to family or neighbors, or share it on foodsharing.

Being controlled by those around you can also help. Let co-workers, friends and family know that you are on sugar withdrawal. Who wants to be caught giving in to sugar addiction and emptying the pantry …

Positive support from those around you has an even more lasting effect: find someone who can tackle sugar withdrawal with you. In pairs or threes, you can motivate each other, praise each other – and sometimes stop yourself from giving in to sugar addiction “when you get hungry”.

Sugar withdrawal tip 9: Distract yourself

If you are about to give in to sugar addiction again: go for a walk, draw a picture, write down nice things, call a friend, read a good book or meditate a bit. Objectively, these are far more pleasant things than crushing a bag of gummy bears. It only takes you a few clear seconds to think about anything other than sugar, your sugar withdrawal, your sugar addiction. Withdrawal will take care of itself and you will be happy. Worth it.

Sugar Withdrawal Tip 10: Hold on to your success

There are always low points when you can’t take it anymore, when you want to throw everything away. Of course, also during a sugar withdrawal. It’s best to write down everything you’ve done. Then you can use it to motivate yourself again in low phases when sugar addiction strikes from behind.

For example, you could write down all the foods you want to avoid (chocolate, jelly beans, cake,…). For each day you’ve done that, put a tick next to it. Or you mark every day without sugary in the calendar. Once you have a small series of ticks on the paper, you probably won’t want to break the series.

Conclusion

Whether sugar addiction really exists has not been finally clarified – but sugar seems to have an addictive effect. In any case, it makes sense not to eat too much sugar. There are many small things that can help you with sugar withdrawal. It is important not to set your goals too high at the beginning and then gradually increase them. Here’s how you can tackle sugar withdrawal and reduce your cravings for sweets.

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Food

Erythritol: A Healthy Alternative to Sugar?

Erythritol is often touted as a healthy alternative to sugar because this sweetener contains almost no calories. We’ll tell you how healthy the sugar substitute really is.

What is erythritol?

Erythritol is a sweet-tasting compound that, chemically speaking, belongs to the sugar alcohols – just like, for example, birch sugar (xylitol) or isomalt.

Visually, erythritol looks confusingly similar to classic sugar. According to the Deutsche Apothekerzeitung, it has about 70 percent of the sweetening power of sugar, so you have to dose erythritol a little higher when sweetening. The sugar substitute is suitable for cooking and baking.

Erythritol occurs naturally in ripe fruits such as melons, grapes and pears, as well as in wine, cheese and pistachios. Obtaining erythritol from these foods is very complex and expensive. That is why it is obtained for the food industry through fermentation. Carbohydrates are converted – usually with the help of fungi – into erythritol and some by-products.

On the list of ingredients, erythritol is sometimes also identified as Erylite, Erythritol or E968.

Erythritol: low-calorie sugar substitute with few side effects

Erythritol is not metabolized in the body and therefore has no calories according to the German Pharmacy Journal (the health portal netdoktor.de writes of 20 kilocalories per 100 grams). For comparison: ordinary sugar has 400 calories per 100 grams. Most other sugar substitutes such as xylitol still have 240 calories per 100 grams.

This makes erythritol particularly popular for low-calorie diets. In addition, according to the Deutsche Apothekerzeitung, the sweetener has no effect on blood sugar and insulin levels, so diabetics can also use erythritol without any problems.

As with any sugar alcohol, excessive consumption of erythritol can cause gas and diarrhea. Compared to other sugar alcohols such as xylitol or sorbitol, the risk here is significantly lower, since more than 90 percent of the erythritol is excreted undigested according to netdoktor.de and not digested in the large intestine. Nevertheless, according to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), foods that contain more than ten percent erythritol must be provided with a warning (“excessive consumption can have a laxative effect”). Otherwise, the BfR describes erythritol as harmless to health.

Important: Choose organic quality erythritol

The starting product for erythritol is mostly corn, which grows in monocultures in Europe. Genetically modified mushroom cultures are often used for the actual fermentation.

That’s why we expressly advise you to only buy erythritol with the EU organic seal. Then the sugar alcohol (especially for diabetics) is a recommended alternative to sugar. You can get organic erythritol, for example**, from Bioaufvorrat or Amazon.

The bottom line, however, applies to every sugar substitute: You cannot train yourself away from your desire for sweets. Therefore you should only use erythritol and co. sparingly.

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Cooking Tips

Sugar, Sweetener & Co.

Sweet as sugar or rather bitter? If you want to sweeten your coffee or tea, you are spoiled for choice. There has long been a large selection of sweeteners. We present you with a selection.

The raw material sugar

The sweet taste of various types of sugar makes one or the other connoisseur’s heart beat somersaults. It makes us happy. The word sugar originally comes from the Sanskrit word (that’s a language in India) and means “sweet”. How fitting! Many sweeten the classic way with sugar. Whether in fine crystal form, as sugar cubes, syrup or rock candy – it comes in many forms. But what other alternatives are there?

There is cane, beet, maple and palm sugar. These are obtained from sugar cane, the juice of sugar beet or sugar maple and types of palm trees. A total of 194 million tons of sugar were produced in the 2017/2018 harvest year.

sweetener

Good alternatives are, for example, honey, stevia, sweeteners, fructose or types of syrup. Of course, they all have their own taste, so it’s best to try them in a cup of coffee to see what you like. Honey is a food made from the nectar of flowers by bees. The collected juices of the plants are enriched and changed by the bees in their bodies with endogenous substances such as enzymes, proteins and acids. After that, this liquid is stored in honeycombs and matured.
Stevia. It hides in a plant growing in South America. Native people have been using this plant for centuries as a sugar-free and natural sweetener, as the extract obtained from the leaves has a sweetening power that is ten to thirty times stronger than conventional sugar. So you need significantly less for sweetening. Sweetener is either synthetic or made from natural substitutes for sugar. It surpasses the sweetness of conventional sugar considerably. The best known forms are lozenges or in liquid form.

Syrup is available from many manufacturers in a wide variety of flavors. Caramel, coconut and co. sweeten the coffee with an additional flavor. But be careful: some types of syrup are only suitable for cold drinks. In forums you can read from some users that they use their drinks with agave syrup, sugar beet syrup, maple syrup or conventional vanilla sugar (the one used in baking).

There is certainly no one best solution for all people, for all occasions. Rather, it is a matter of taste whether it should be cane sugar for baking and hazelnut syrup in the cappuccino. Basically, you should of course always pay attention to a moderate consumption of sugar and other sweeteners.

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Food

Beet Sugar, Cane Sugar and Raw Cane Sugar: These are the Differences

Which sugar is hidden behind beet sugar, cane sugar and raw cane sugar? We explain the differences between the types of sugar and give tips on what to look out for when buying.

Cane sugar, raw cane sugar and whole cane sugar

Cane sugar is obtained from sugar cane. Sugar cane is grown in tropical countries like Brazil, South Africa, Australia or Cuba. Three different types of sugar can be made from cane sugar. They differed in the degree to which they were refined.

Whole cane sugar: The first and healthiest level of cane sugar is whole cane sugar. The sugar cane juice obtained is only thickened, dried and then ground. This preserves the molasses with its valuable minerals and vitamins. It is also responsible for the caramel flavor and the brown color of whole cane sugar.

Raw cane sugar: This is the variant for which the sugar crystals are only refined once. As a result, a small part of the molasses is retained and is responsible for the slightly brownish colour.

Cane sugar: The white cane sugar has been subjected to the refining process until it no longer contains any molasses. It not only lacks the brownish colour, but also the healthy minerals and vitamins.

Beet sugar

Beet sugar: Beet sugar is almost identical to raw sugar. Both consist of sucrose and have the same chemical composition. Beet sugar is obtained from sugar beet – a regional product. Sugar beets are grown in Central Europe. You will not find raw beet sugar, which would contain a small amount of healthy minerals from the sugar beet juice, on the market because it has an unpleasant taste.

Cane sugar and beet sugar are refined

The processing of sugar cane and sugar beet is similar. First, beets or sugar cane are crushed and juiced at at least 70°C. This raw juice is then treated with lime, carbonic acid and filters to remove unwanted substances such as proteins or minerals.

By further, slow heating, the raw juice is thickened until sugar crystals form. This is the so-called raw sugar with the characteristic yellow-brown color. In order to turn it into beautiful, white granulated sugar, the sugar crystals are dissolved and crystallized again and again. This process takes up to eight hours and is called refining, which is why white sugar is also called refined sugar. It doesn’t matter which plant the sugar comes from. Cane sugar can also be refined and thereby form white crystals.

What to look out for when shopping for sugar

When shopping, you should first be aware that too much sugar is not healthy. It doesn’t matter whether it’s beet sugar, cane sugar or other types of sugar: 100 grams of sugar contain around 400 calories and no vitamins whatsoever. It is responsible for many diseases of affluence.

It is true that “unrefined sugar” contains more minerals. However, their total content is less than one percent. In order for you to have any health benefit from eating unrefined sugar, you would need to eat a few pounds of it. That would be anything but healthy. Because there is no refining, it can be considered more sustainable – and is therefore the better one.

Also, don’t fall for the misconception that brown sugar is healthier than white sugar. Oftentimes, brown sugar is just conventional white beet or cane sugar that has been colored brown.

Disadvantages of cane sugar are the long transport routes and land reclamation for the sugar cane cultivation areas. Beet sugar comes from sugar beets from the local region, but – like cane sugar – requires a lot of energy to process.

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Food

What is Syrup Sugar?

The fruits of early summer are ideal for making delicious syrups, such as rhubarb syrup or elderflower syrup. But herbs such as mint or lemon balm can also be used to make a delicious syrup. Syrup recipes often refer to syrup sugar. But what is that anyway?

What is the difference between syrup sugar and regular sugar?

Syrup sugar is sugar that has already been enriched with the citric acid needed to make the syrup in the right proportion. You can buy this ready-made in the supermarket or simply mix it yourself:

Mixing ratio for syrup sugar:

  • 1 kg of sugar
  • 30 grams of citric acid
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Cooking Tips

Coconut Blossom Sugar: The Sugar Substitute Really is That Healthy

Coconut blossom sugar is also called palm sugar and is an alternative to white table sugar. Many manufacturers advertise that coconut blossom sugar is also healthier – but is that really true?

There are numerous sugar alternatives that you can use to sweeten coffee or yoghurt. One of them is coconut blossom sugar. It is said to be healthier than white sugar because it causes blood sugar levels to rise very slowly. The theory goes that the body metabolizes less insulin and you have fewer food cravings. However, there are still no meaningful scientific studies on this.

Coconut Blossom Sugar: Healthy Sweetness or Calorie Bomb?

In terms of calories, coconut blossom sugar is anything but healthy: the sugar substitute contains 384 calories per 100 g. For comparison: In white sugar it is not much more with 400 calories per 100 g.

The carbohydrates contained (approx. 90 g) correspond to the amount found in white sugar (approx. 100 g). In addition, the nutritional information varies from manufacturer to manufacturer: Some advertise that coconut blossom sugar contains a particularly large number of vitamins and minerals. However, these promises should be treated with caution. Because to get a health benefit, you would have to consume several kilos a day.

Cooking and baking with coconut blossom sugar?

You can replace coconut blossom sugar 1:1 with white sugar. Because coconut blossom sugar is almost as sweet, despite its name, it doesn’t taste like coconut. Its caramel note is well suited for desserts.

However, you should not use coconut blossom sugar for baking: it easily forms lumps in the dough and does not rise as well as white sugar. If you cook with coconut blossom sugar, you have to keep in mind that the sugar dissolves very slowly. You should therefore plan a lot of stirring and a few minutes more time.

How sustainable is coconut blossom sugar?

The coconut blossom sugar originates from the blossoms of the coconut palm: they are cut open and the nectar that flows out is caught in a bowl. A palm tree can release up to two liters of nectar a day – that’s enough for a 500 gram pack of coconut blossom sugar. The nectar is then boiled down until a crumbly mass is formed. This only has to dry and can then be packed.

Almost all of the coconut blossom sugar in Germany comes from Southeast Asia. In Thailand and Indonesia in particular, the nectar is collected from the coconut palms and processed into sugar – the long transport route pollutes the environment. Since the sugar from coconut blossoms is not much healthier, we recommend a sugar substitute from the region – for example regional organic honey or organic sugar beet.

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Food

Rice Syrup: What Good is It as a Sugar Alternative?

Rice syrup is considered a healthier sugar alternative alongside honey, agave syrup and other sweeteners. You can find out here whether the chewy, sweet juice is actually better for your health and what special features it has.

It is well known that sugar is not very good for our health. Therefore, if you want to try to do without it partially or completely, there are various alternative options. Some swear by stevia or birch sugar, others by honey or maple syrup. And then finally there is rice syrup.

Rice syrup: use, production, and origin

Rice syrup is a light golden syrup that tastes mild and sweet. Since it doesn’t have a particularly strong taste or aftertaste, you can use it in a variety of ways. For example, it is suitable for sweetening yoghurt or porridge, as a sweetener in the dough of cakes, muffins or biscuits or for caramelizing.

To make rice syrup, machines heat the ground rice and then break it down into sugars. This is how the sweet juice is extracted from the rice grain. The syrup then runs through filters and is finally thickened. Since rice syrup is therefore completely vegetable, it is a vegan honey alternative. In Japan, the sweet juice has long been an integral part of traditional cuisine.

Since rice is grown in Asian countries such as China, Thailand or India in particular, rice syrup often has a poor eco-balance. After all, there are long transport routes during production, which release large amounts of greenhouse gases. To a small extent, some farmers also grow rice in southern Europe, for example in Italy or Spain.

We recommend that you pay attention to information about the origin of the rice grains when buying and that you prefer rice syrup from European cultivation. For example, according to the company, Reishunger’s organic rice syrup comes from Italy. You should also buy organic rice syrup if possible. In this way you avoid chemical-synthetic pesticides that are harmful to your health and, in particular, drive insect mortality.

By the way, to extend the shelf life, it is best to store rice syrup in the refrigerator after opening. It stays there for weeks or months.

Is Rice Syrup Healthier Than Sugar?

When looking at the nutritional values, rice syrup performs only slightly better than conventional table sugar. According to Reishunger, the syrup has around 319 kilocalories per 100 grams. Alnatura’s organic beet sugar, on the other hand, has 400 kilocalories. Both sweeteners contain only small traces of fat and protein.

Sugar is almost 100 percent carbohydrates, while in rice syrup they are only 80 percent. Of that 80 percent, sugar molecules make up 62 percent. This is also the reason that rice syrup does not taste as sweet as sugar. So you need more syrup to achieve the same sweetness. This also makes up for the calorie difference.

According to a Northwestern University nutritionist, our bodies treat rice syrup the same way it treats sugar. Our organism therefore does not recognize any difference between the sugar molecules. In addition, rice syrup has a higher glycemic index than sugar. This means that your body breaks down the syrup into glucose extra quickly. This process causes your blood sugar levels to rise and fall rapidly. As a result, you will only feel full for a short time and will soon feel hungry again.

There is also no evidence that rice syrup would contain a particularly large number of micronutrients (such as vitamins or minerals). Even if these are available in moderation, they hardly make an important contribution to covering our daily needs.

Conclusion: Rice syrup is not a miracle cure either

There is not enough substantiated evidence to support the thesis that rice syrup is healthier than sugar. But with both sweeteners, the dose makes the poison. As part of a balanced diet, it is not a problem to eat sweets from time to time.

From an ecological perspective, rice syrup from Europe is definitely more climate-friendly than maple or agave syrup. These often come from even more distant growing areas. Even better sweeteners would be, for example, apple or pear syrup, sugar beet syrup or beet sugar from German cultivation.

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Food

Date Sugar: This is How You Make the Healthy Sweetener Yourself

Date sugar is made from dried, finely ground dates. You can also easily make the sugar at home in the oven. You can find out exactly how this works and why we can only recommend date sugar to a limited extent here.

If you want to sweeten in a healthier way, you can use date sugar. This consists only of dried and finely ground dates. Date sugar has a more subtle sweetening power than conventional sugar, but also has a fine caramel note that goes particularly well with sweet baked goods. On the other hand, if you want to sweeten drinks, date sugar is not suitable. The fine date powder does not dissolve in liquid.

Since date sugar consists only of dried dates, it still has some healthy ingredients. For example, it is high in fiber. However, the crystalline date sweetener is still a sugar, so you should use it sparingly.

Also with regard to the ecological balance of dates, it is advisable to use date sugar consciously. Dates come from far away areas like Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia, so they have to travel long distances in transportation. Dates are also susceptible to pest infestation, which is why pesticides are often used.

If you make your own date sugar, you have the option of buying dates that are as environmentally friendly as possible. We recommend dried dates from organic farming that does not use chemical-synthetic pesticides.

Make date sugar yourself: Here’s how it works

Making date sugar yourself is very easy. In addition to the dried dates, you only need an oven and a powerful blender. First let the dates dry completely in the oven and then use the mixer to pulverize them.

You can do this step by step:

Halve the dates and remove the stone if necessary.
Place the dates on a wire rack lined with parchment paper or a more sustainable parchment paper alternative.
Allow the dates to dry through at 100 to 120 degrees Celsius.
Depending on the oven and the residual moisture content in the dates, the drying time can vary, from 60 minutes to two or even three hours. Place a wooden spoon between the oven and oven door to allow moisture to escape.
The dates should start to harden in the oven, but not burn. So check them regularly and reduce the heat if necessary.
Let the dates cool down completely overnight in the switched off oven with the oven slightly open. This makes them very hard.
Put the completely cooled dates in a blender and process them into a powder.
The resulting date sugar may start clumping from the humidity, but you can still use it.
The date sugar can be stored in an airtight container for up to eight weeks.

Make date sugar yourself: Healthier, but energy-intensive

Because the oven time can get long and the oven door is left open during this time, constantly escaping heat, the power consumption of making your own date sugar is quite high. Therefore, drying the dates in the oven can not only be expensive, but also increase the ecological footprint.

With a few tips, however, you can make the eco-balance of homemade date sugar a little more positive:

Do not use so-called soft dates, but dates that are as hard as possible, for example the Deglet Nour variety. The harder the dates are, the less time they need in the oven.
Don’t just halve the dates, cut them into quarters. They also dry faster this way. Be careful not to burn the dates.
If you have a dehydrator, you can use that. Note, however, that while most dehydrators use less electricity than the oven when drying, the power consumption is not necessarily low here either.
In order not to have to dry them at all, you can soak the dates overnight and then puree them with a little lemon juice. This is how you get a date puree that you can use for many things just like the solid date sugar.

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Australia

Bush Tomato Chutney: Create a tangy and aromatic chutney using bush tomatoes, onions, sugar, and vinegar.

Introduction: Bush Tomato Chutney

Bush tomato chutney is a delicious and unique condiment that is perfect for adding a tangy and aromatic flavor to your meals. It is made using bush tomatoes, which are commonly grown in the arid regions of Australia. The chutney is easy to prepare and can be used as a dip, spread or a sauce for meat dishes.

Ingredients and Cooking Steps

To make bush tomato chutney, you will need:

  • 500g of bush tomatoes
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1 cup of vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

Here are the steps to prepare the chutney:

  1. Wash and chop the bush tomatoes into small pieces.
  2. Place the chopped tomatoes and diced onion in a pot and add the sugar, vinegar and salt.
  3. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened.
  4. Reduce the heat and simmer the chutney for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened and the tomatoes have broken down.
  5. Remove the pot from the heat and leave the chutney to cool. Once it has cooled, transfer it to a sterilized jar and seal.

Tips for Storage and Serving

Bush tomato chutney can be stored in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. It can also be frozen for longer storage.

To serve the chutney, you can use it as a dip for crackers or vegetables, or as a spread on sandwiches or toast. It also pairs well with meat dishes and can be used as a sauce for chicken, beef or lamb.

In conclusion, bush tomato chutney is a delicious and unique condiment that is easy to prepare and can be used in a variety of ways. By following the simple recipe and storage tips, you can enjoy this tangy and aromatic chutney all year round.

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Austria

Kaiserschmarrn: A fluffy shredded pancake served with powdered sugar, fruit compote, and sometimes whipped cream.

Introduction: Kaiserschmarrn – A Popular Austrian Dessert

Kaiserschmarrn is a traditional dessert that originated in Austria and has become popular across Europe. It is a fluffy, shredded pancake that is typically served for dessert or as a main course for breakfast or lunch. The dish is made by mixing flour, eggs, milk, and sugar to create a batter that is then cooked in a pan and shredded into pieces. Kaiserschmarrn is a delicious, light, and fluffy dessert that can be served with a variety of toppings.

Ingredients and Preparation of Kaiserschmarrn

The ingredients for Kaiserschmarrn are simple and easy to find. The batter is made with flour, eggs, milk, and sugar. The batter is then cooked in a pan with butter until it is cooked through. Once the Kaiserschmarrn is cooked, it is shredded into pieces and served with powdered sugar, fruit compote, and sometimes whipped cream.

To prepare Kaiserschmarrn, start by mixing flour, eggs, milk, and sugar in a large bowl until the batter is smooth. Heat a pan over medium heat and add butter. Once the butter is melted, pour the batter into the pan and cook until the bottom is golden brown. Flip the pancake and cook until the other side is golden brown. Use a spatula to shred the Kaiserschmarrn into small pieces and serve with powdered sugar, fruit compote, and whipped cream.

Serving Suggestions: Powdered Sugar, Fruit Compote, and Whipped Cream

Kaiserschmarrn is typically served with powdered sugar, fruit compote, and sometimes whipped cream. The powdered sugar adds a sweet touch to the dish, while the fruit compote provides a tangy and fruity flavor. The whipped cream adds a creamy and indulgent touch to the dish.

To serve Kaiserschmarrn, sprinkle powdered sugar over the top of the shredded pancake. Serve with a side of fruit compote, such as cherry or apple compote. Add a dollop of whipped cream on top for an extra indulgent touch. Kaiserschmarrn can also be served with other toppings, such as caramel or chocolate sauce. Enjoy this delicious and traditional Austrian dessert!

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