candied fruit

Candied fruits are pieces of fruit boiled in sugar syrup. They are a traditional oriental sweet. The history of the origin of the delicacy is connected with the hot climate of countries, in which sugaring made it possible to “preserve” fruits and preserve the harvest. It is interesting that in Rus’ the product is called “dry jam”.

Fruit soaked in sugar syrup is used as a decor for decorating rolls, puffs, cookies, cakes, pastries. In addition, they are put in the form of a filling in shortbread, yeast, biscuit, cupcake and butter dough.

The delicacy serves as a natural substitute for sweets, contains fiber and organic acids, which help to remove toxins and toxic substances from the body, instantly replenish energy costs (due to the breakdown of fast carbohydrates), and increase blood glucose levels.

Production technology

Currently, candied fruits are not a scarce product. They can be purchased at any supermarket, pastry shop or bazaar, both in packaged form and by weight. However, today’s candied fruits – bright “cubes and sticks”, as a rule, are dry and coarse-fibered, have a sugary-sweet taste. The question is: what are they made of? Often, manufacturers are limited to the inscription “tropical sweets”, which does not say anything specific. It remains only to guess what is hidden under this epithet …

Nutritionists do not recommend buying bright-colored candied fruits with a pronounced fruity smell, as this indicates the introduction of a large amount of dyes, flavors and preservatives into the product, from which a person will not become healthier. To protect yourself and your loved ones, it is recommended to cook oriental sweets on your own. This is the only way to be sure of the quality and naturalness of the raw materials, and the authenticity of the finished dessert.

Most often, candied fruits are made from apricots, plums, cherries, apples, pears, pineapples, carrots, pumpkins, lemon, watermelon and melon peels. However, zucchini, beets, cherry plums, grapes, peaches, and quince can also be used as raw materials. The delicacy is prepared from fresh or frozen fruits, berries and even jam.

The technology for the production of oriental sweets can be divided into 4 stages: preparation of raw materials, blanching and aging in sugar syrup, drying, glazing or sprinkling.

Consider in detail how to cook candied fruits:

1. At the first stage, the fruits or peels are washed, cleaned of pulp, seeds, cut into cubes or strips, 10 mm x 10 mm or 10 mm x 25 mm in size. Watermelon and melon skins are additionally kept in cold water for 2 days until the salty taste is completely eliminated.
2. At the second stage, the fruits and peels are placed in boiling water for 10 minutes (blanching process), then they are removed from the liquid and poured with hot sugar syrup, brought to 90 degrees, with a concentration of 60% and left for 8 hours. This time is enough for the fruit to soak, “preserve” and become sweet in taste.
3. The fruits are unloaded on a trellised baking sheet with a cell diameter of up to 7 mm. It is necessary to wait for the syrup to drain completely. To speed up the drying of candied fruits, they are blown with cold or warm air and placed in dryers. At the same time, the content of solids in the finished product must be at least 80%.

The syrup, in which the fruits were kept, is used to create marmalade, jam.

4. The final stage in the production of candied fruits is their sprinkling with sugar or glazing. In the first case, the fruits are rolled in sweet powder. The amount of granulated sugar should not exceed 15% by weight of the fruit. The fruit processing process is as follows: dried berry cubes or sticks are fed to a perforated metal drum with a hole diameter of up to 7 mm, which rotates continuously. In it, sugar is evenly distributed over the surface of candied fruits. In this case, sprinkling should be done manually.

In the second case, glazing is carried out in sugar syrup, the concentration of which depends on the type of fruit. So, for melon and watermelon peels, it does not exceed 80%, apricots, peaches and plums – 82%, pome fruits, citrus fruits, figs – 83%.

The prepared syrup is poured into two-body glazing pots based on the calculation of 15 kg of dried fruits per 30 dm3 of sweet liquid. Candied fruits are mixed with a slotted spoon, boiled at a slight boil, replicated, as a result of which sugar crystallizes on the surface of the fruit, and a transparent film is formed – glaze. Then the fruits are carefully removed, re-dried.

Properly cooked candied fruits are covered with a shiny, glassy, ​​light and transparent film of glaze through which the natural color of the fruit shines through. They do not contain influxes of sugar and signs of spoilage (mold, fermentation) caused by vital activity of organisms.

The shelf life of finished candied fruits is 6-12 months in a dry room at an ambient temperature of 5-20 degrees, relative humidity 75%. Candied fruits are stored in a glass container.

Chemical composition

Fruits, vegetables, berries and their peels boiled in concentrated sugar syrup are one of the most discussed products of the XNUMXth-XNUMXst century. Some argue that this is a healthy alternative to “chemical” sweets, while others accuse the product of excessive glucose content. Nutritionists insist that natural candied fruits, unlike their tinted counterparts, contain useful fiber necessary for normal digestion, and also serve as a supplier of carbohydrates, sugars responsible for vigor, strength, energy and vitality of the body. Such a product has a natural color, inconspicuous without a pronounced odor.

The chemical composition of candied fruits depends on the type of raw material from which they were prepared. Apple, pear sweets contain a lot of iron, citrus fruits – ascorbic acid, pumpkin, carrot – carotene.

Interestingly, candied fruits are 70% carbohydrates, 2-5% proteins, 1-2% fats. 100 grams of the product contains 250-350 kcal.

According to the type of their surface, the following types of candied fruits are distinguished: glazed, canted and folding; by configuration – leaves, segments, cubes, tablets, rings, sticks; by color – red, green, yellow, orange, purple. Interestingly, the color of candied fruits does not always depend on the raw materials used. Unscrupulous manufacturers often make fruits from the hard low-value core of pineapple, which are tinted with aggressive dyes in the desired color and sold in the form of kiwi, mango.

How to distinguish a natural product from a fake

To do this, place a piece of candied fruit in boiling water. If the water turns colored, this is a low-quality product, in the production process of which chemicals were used. As a rule, such fruits are made from gelatin, dye, essence, citric acid. Often they do not include fruits and berries at all, they do not provide value for the human body, rather the opposite.

When dried, the fake has a rich color, very bright, attractive to the buyer. In no case should such candied fruits be purchased and given to children. Don’t put your baby’s health at risk! Make your own with fresh fruit. In this case, the oriental delicacy will be absolutely safe to eat, without harmful food additives.

Candied fruits can be used as a substitute for confectionery or as a decoration when decorating desserts.

Benefit and harm

The abundance of sugar and heat treatment reduce the dignity of fruits and vegetables from which candied fruits are made, but do not completely deprive them. The pulp of candied fruits contains fiber, vitamins A, B, C, iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, sodium, which cleanse the body of toxins, normalize metabolic processes, give strength and energy. The benefits of candied fruits made from watermelon and citrus peels come down to the fact that they supply pectins to the body that regulate blood glucose levels, intestinal function, and reduce the risk of developing malignant neoplasms.

The product contains a lot of sugar, so the delicacy should be excluded from the diet of diabetics, hypertensive patients, people suffering from obesity. If the storage conditions are violated and the expiration date expires, oriental sweets should not be eaten, as pathogenic microorganisms begin to develop in them. And bright, appetizing candied fruits containing dyes and preservatives can cause food poisoning.

Dried candied citrus fruits are strong potential allergens. If a person suffers from individual intolerance to the original product, most likely it will also appear on the candied fruit that is made from it.

People suffering from pancreatitis are allowed to use oriental sweets in a strictly limited amount (up to 15 g per day), with caution, observing the reaction of the body. In case of discomfort from the digestive tract, the product should be discontinued.

Despite the fact that candied fruits are a source of vitamins (albeit not in large quantities), they are rich in sugars, so both adults and children should not get carried away with the product. Otherwise, the love of sweets can turn into a stomach ulcer, damaged teeth, the growth of malignant tumors, diabetes and obesity.

The daily norm of natural candied fruits should not exceed 30 g.

Conclusion

Candied fruits – pieces of vegetables, berries, fruits, boiled in a thick sweet syrup, followed by drying in the sun or in the oven. At first, only orange peels were used as the raw material for the preparation of oriental delicacy, but over time, the range of the product has expanded significantly. Today they are even made from nuts.

Remember, store-bought fruits boiled in sugar syrup contain many synthetic substances that disrupt liver function, after which it is difficult to normalize it.

High-quality candied fruits should not be stuck together, visually resemble jam, have an excessively rigid structure with an influx of sugar on the surface. The color of the natural product corresponds to the color of the raw material, sometimes a little paler, and emits an unobtrusive aroma. Self-prepared homemade candied fruits are recommended for people with low blood glucose levels, with intense physical exertion, exhaustion and suffering from a breakdown.

Candied fruits are used as a sweet dish on their own or added to pastries, desserts, ice cream, cottage cheese, creams, jams, preserves. In the East, they are put in fruit and berry sauces, sweet cereals.