uzvar

The time of the Christmas and New Year holidays is the most favorite time of the year for the inhabitants of our country. Traditionally, on these holidays, a liquid sweet delicacy – uzvar – appears on the tables. The very name of this drink speaks of the method of its preparation – brewing.

Uzvar is not only a delicious ritual dish, but also a healthy drink for the whole family. It can be drunk both warm, like tea, and cold, like compote. Uzvar should not be perceived as a drink prepared according to a classic recipe for the Christmas table. It can be prepared from dried or seasonal fresh fruits at any time of the year.

The composition of the uzvar

Uzvar is prepared according to various recipes: from dried fruits, candied fruits, fresh or frozen fruits and berries, and various combinations of these ingredients. For the preparation of traditional uzvar, the so-called “drying” is used (dried fruits and berries growing in the area) ^[1].

Dried fruits (or drying) are a storehouse of nutrients ^[2]. It is customary for the Slavs to dry fresh apples, pears, plums, apricots, and cherries. However, overseas delicacies are also dried fruits: raisins, dates, figs, bananas, pineapples. The difference between exotic dried fruits (or candied fruits) is the way they are harvested – drying fruits processed in sugar syrup. They are high in calories and not very useful. Whether business our dried fruits.

The benefits of dried fruits cannot be overestimated. ^[3]. They contain a lot of fiber (cellulose, lignin, pectin), organic acids, a huge amount of vitamins and minerals (micro and macro elements). Such a harvesting method as drying extracts moisture from the fruit, and all useful compounds are collected in the remaining dry matter, and even in concentrated form. ^[4].

The water-insoluble fiber (cellulose and lignin) contained in dried fruits swells when cooked, absorbing water. This is the main useful property of water-insoluble fiber – to accumulate and remove toxic substances, toxins and water from the body. The water-insoluble fiber that has accumulated water increases many times in volume, thereby irritating the intestinal walls and stimulating its peristalsis.

Water-soluble fiber (pectin), unlike water-insoluble fiber, is able to dissolve and be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. In the stomach, pectin compounds quickly swell and give a person a feeling of fullness, and then are absorbed in the small intestine. In the blood, its function remains the same as that of lignin and cellulose: the absorption of toxic substances and toxins, but only those that are not in the intestinal lumen, but in the blood. Pectin-related toxic substances from the blood enter the liver, where they are neutralized ^[5].

Dried fruit organic acids improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and promote better absorption of nutrients from other foods.

Vitamins are not destroyed when fruits are dried, so most of them “survive” in dried fruits until the next harvest. Dried fruits are considered a source of B, C, PP vitamins, provitamin A (carotene) ^[6].

Dried fruits and berries contain many minerals:

• macronutrients that the body needs in large quantities (more than 200 mg per day): potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus;
• trace elements that the body needs in small doses (less than 200 mg per day): iron, iodine, manganese, copper, zinc, boron, selenium.

When preparing uzvar, most of these substances useful for the human body come from dried fruits into the drink, so a properly prepared uzvar has many properties that are useful for the body. ^[7].

The only harmful ingredient in uzvar is sugar. Uzvar with sugar is not a healthy drink, but an ordinary sweet compote. However, this lack of uzvar is very easy to get rid of by simply not adding sugar during cooking.

Useful Properties

Uzvar is a favorite healing drink of physicians. Anyone who has ever been hospitalized in a hospital remembers that almost daily in the menu of patients, as a drink after a meal, they give out uzvar. It certainly doesn’t look like homemade, but it’s still delicious.

Uzvar is included in the recommended dishes of all therapeutic diets and even therapeutic diet No. 0, which is intended for postoperative patients. Uzvar has earned such respect for itself due to its beneficial properties and minimal side effects. So what are the useful properties of the uzvar ^[8]?

The useful properties of the knot include:

• is a multivitamin remedy, which is especially valuable in the cold season;
• provides the body with macro- and microelements;
• gently promotes the production of digestive juices and bile;
• prevents the thickening of bile and the loss of stones in the bile ducts and bladder;
• stimulates intestinal peristalsis;
• normalizes intestinal microflora;
• binds and removes cholesterol from the intestines;
• increases the elasticity of blood vessels by binding cholesterol in the blood;
• has an antioxidant effect, therefore it binds free radicals ^[9];
• improves heart function, as it contains a lot of potassium and magnesium;
• increases hemoglobin level in the blood;
• increases sweating;
• relieves puffiness, because it has a diuretic property;
• improves cerebral circulation due to the content of B vitamins;
• increases immunity, because it contains a lot of vitamin C;
• improves purine metabolism;
• promotes the dissolution of uric acid salts in the kidneys;
• normalizes blood glucose levels if prepared without the use of sugar;
• improves metabolism;
• promotes weight loss;
• makes the skin soft and supple, as it cleanses the body of toxins and toxic substances.

This list could go on and on. The more correctly the therapeutic knot is prepared, the more benefits it will bring to the body.

Indications for use

Possessing so many useful properties, uzvar cannot but be used as a home remedy and prophylactic for:

• seasonal hypovitaminosis;
• deficiency of macro- and microelements;
• chronic inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
• acute infectious diseases;
• cholelithiasis;
• liver failure;
• constipation;
• intestinal dysbiosis;
• atherosclerosis;
• ischemic heart disease;
• arrhythmias;
• cardiovascular insufficiency;
• memory and attention disorders;
• blurred vision;
• urolithiasis;
• renal failure;
• fever;
• gout;
• diabetes mellitus;
• endocrine pathologies.

It is useful for pregnant women and nursing mothers to consume sugar-free uzvar every day. During the diet, it has a mild diuretic effect. Regular use of this drink has a good effect on the condition of the skin, hair and nails.

Contraindications to use

Uzvar is an excellent preventive and curative remedy that has practically no contraindications. Contraindications to the use of the uzvar are:

• individual intolerance to some components of the drink;
• allergic reactions to certain dried fruits;
• exacerbation of peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum;
• obesity, diabetes mellitus (if there is sugar in the uzvar) ^[10][11].

That’s the whole list of contraindications to enjoying a tasty and healthy drink. At their core, these contraindications are not absolute, which means that by changing the recipe of the drink, it can be consumed by everyone without exception.

How to cook

Uzvar can be prepared according to the classic recipe or with some changes. The classic recipe makes the drink very rich and tasty, but at the same time deprives it of its healing properties.

Traditional knot

For its preparation, take dried fruits and berries in equal quantities: apples, pears, plums, cherries. Rinse under running water and pour warm water for 10-15 minutes so as to cover the dried fruits. After that, cold water is added so that the ratio of dried fruits to water is 1:5. Put on fire, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for about an hour. Then honey or sugar is added to taste, covered with a lid, wrapped in a warm blanket and allowed to brew for a couple of hours.

The calorie content of this drink is quite high and depends on the amount of sugar in it. It can be 20-30 kcal per 100 ml of drink ^[12].

If desired, the recipe for a traditional uzvar can be diversified by adding candied fruits, citrus zest, cinnamon, spices and spices.

Uzvar “Healing”

In order for uzvar to become a healing drink, it must be properly prepared:

1. Take dried fruits from your region of residence: apples, pears, plums, apricots, cherries, to be sure that they are not treated with pesticides, preservatives or antibiotics. In addition, our digestive system is better prepared for “our” products than for overseas ones.
2. Prepare uzvar without adding sugar or other sweeteners.
3. Do not strain after cooking so that it retains the maximum amount of useful substances, for example, cellulose and pectin in the pulp.

The ratio of dried fruits and water should be 1:5. Sort dried fruits, rinse under running water, pour warm water for 10-15 minutes. Then add the rest of the water. In this case, the water should be very warm. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover with a lid, wrap in a warm blanket. It’s best to do this before bed. Then the uzvar will infuse all night.

All! The health drink is ready. Minimal heat treatment allows you to save all the useful substances in such a drink. The absence of sugar makes the drink dietary and anti-diabetic. You need to drink such an uzvar along with the pulp, which enters the glass with the liquid.

The calorie content of this drink is low and is up to 15 kcal per 100 ml, depending on the sweetness of dried fruits.

The uniqueness of the “Healing” uzvar is that it can be included in the treatment menu for gastritis with any acidity:

• with increased acidity of the stomach, the uzvar is prepared from pears and apples. Adding plums, cherries or other sour fruits and berries should be discarded;
• with low acidity, no changes need to be made to the recipe of the healing uzvar.

You can drink the drink hot, warm or chilled. The temperature of the drink depends on the purpose of its administration as a therapeutic agent.

Uzvar is drunk hot to speed up the metabolism in the body, with acute infections, fever. In a warm form, the drink is consumed in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract in order to avoid excessive stimulation of the digestive glands in case of hyperacid gastritis, duodenitis, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and hepatitis. When chilled, uzvar can be drunk when losing weight: the body spends calories to heat the liquid to its own temperature. When using a decoction for this purpose, care must be taken that it is not cold. The temperature of the drink should not be lower than room temperature.

How to cook and how to use uzvar, everyone should decide for himself. Whether uzvar will be a sweet compote or a healing health drink depends on the recipe and method of preparation. Only proper dietary preparation, along with its daily use, will allow the drink to show all its beneficial properties.

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