Rucola is a close relative of kale and broccoli with a nutty-mustard or peppery flavor and aroma. Some believe it’s difficult to implement it into a daily diet, but learning more about this vegetable will help you do it as easily as playing games at https://www.playamo.com/de/games/roulette-games.
Why Rucola Is Bitter
The bitterness of rucola is a natural characteristic; the plant is dominated by mustard oil, which gives this unique flavor.
Mustard oils are important to the plant’s survival in the wild: they deter herbivores, protect against disease, and help cope with adverse environmental factors.
However, the degree of mustardiness of the rucola can still vary depending on the age of the plant and the season.
If you don’t want to eat bitter rucola:
- Choose young rucola with small leaves: it has the mildest flavor. If the leaves are more than 10-12 centimeters long, they will be more bitter.
- Use heat treatment: braise separately or add to hot dishes. This will help reduce spiciness and bitterness.
- In hot summer rucola can be more bitter, in other seasons more tender.
Vitamins and Trace Elements in Rucola
100g of fresh rucola is:
- Proteins – 2.6 g.
- Fats 0.7 g.
- Carbs – 3.7 g.
- Sodium – 26 mg.
The caloric value of 100 g of rucola is 25 kcal.
It’s also rich in calcium, iron, vitamins A, C and K, folate, potassium, and magnesium.
What Are the Health Benefits of Rucola
The ruffle is full of antioxidants – compounds that protect our body’s cells from damage. It also contains mustard oil glycosides. These plant substances, which give rucola its bitter taste and strong odor, can help protect against certain cancers, including breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer. It also has plenty of vitamin K, which is good for bones and can help prevent osteoporosis.
When not to eat rucola:
- If allergies or individual intolerance.
- When taking blood thinners: The high amount of vitamin K, which affects blood clotting processes, can negate the effect of the drugs.
How and With What to Eat Rucola
Usually, rucola is added to vegetable salads or meat dishes. It combines with cheeses, oils, nuts, tomatoes, seafood, and citrus fruits. Great for Italian dishes: pizza, pasta and risotto and the traditional pesto sauce.
Fresh rucola is the most delicious and useful. When buying it you should choose bright green and dense leaves, without spots and damages. Such rucola will be juicy, tasty, rich in vitamins and minerals.
The rucola can be kept in the refrigerator in a container for 2-3 days, in a container with water – for a week. If you don’t have time to eat it, just freeze it, rinse and dry it beforehand. All the vitamins and micro and macronutrients will remain in the same amount.
Unusual use:
- In Indian folk medicine, rucola seeds are used to treat skin diseases.
- In the Caucasus, rucola seeds are used to make mustard, leaves are used as a salad dressing, and young shoots are eaten fresh.
- In Slovenia, rucola is added to buns.