The sorbet tree, the rowan, is so beautiful that over the years it has been used more to decorate gardens than as a food source. Here are its fruits and its history
"… and this is no reason, for out of these lazy rowans you yield fruit to the sweet fig tree" wrote Dante in his "Hell". The great poet in the fourteenth century opposed the sour taste of sorbets to the sweet one of the figs and suggested that the fig would not yield fruit next to the rowan (the sorbet tree). In our age it is already a miracle if someone knows the taste of sorbets. Cultivated especially in antiquity, it is in fact a now rare specialty even in Emilia where the sorbet interlayer is also used to express amazement.
Sorbets against evil spirits
The sorbets are now rightly included among the forgotten fruits, such as jujubes, and it is usually unlikely to see them at the counters of the grocers and even less in those of the supermarkets. This despite being rich in vitamin C and are appreciated for their astringent properties. The reasons? The plant is very beautiful, among the foliage, flowers and ripe red-orange fruits (similar to small apples), and therefore over the years has been used in the gardens mainly as an ornamental species, thanks also to the belief that he kept evil spirits and witches away. This has contributed to reducing its 'food value' in favor of a more aesthetic use.
The addition to make them edible
Another fact that has reduced the consumption of sorbets is the fact that the fruits are not edible fresh, just picked from the tree, but only after having undergone the "split"; that is, they must be cultured very mature and it is then necessary to continue their ripening process by placing them in the straw or drying them in the sun. At this point the acidic pulp becomes sweeter and acquires a pleasant taste.
Sorbole in the kitchen
Sorbets were used and used mainly to prepare cider, liqueurs (like the Sorbolino), jams, sauces and preserves. Sauces, in particular the sweet and sour ones, are perfect to accompany meat or cheeses.
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