Bergamot ─ is not only a famous and popular additive to tea. This citrus deserves to know him better.
The name of the plant comes from the Italian bergamot to ─ the name of the Italian city of Bergamo. There is a version that the word came from Turkic in the Italian language, where beg armudi translates as “pear of the Prince.” The home of the most fragrant of the citrus fruits is considered South East Asia. The main producer and supplier of the bergamot’s fruit is the Italian city of Reggio Calabria, where he is a symbol.
Depending on the degree of maturity of bergamot, it can have yellow – ripe fruits are used for the production of essential oils and aromatherapy, green – unripe fruits are used for the preparation of candied fruits, green with a grayish tinge – these fruits are used to prepare liqueurs and essences of neroli.
Bergamot is a natural antioxidant. The flesh consists of approximately 80% water and contains citric acid, vitamin C, fiber, fiber, fructose, sucrose, pectin, phosphates, and flavonoids. Bergamot is rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium.
Bergamot is recommended to add to other fruit juices to enhance the content of antioxidants in them. Italians believe that bergamot has antiseptic and anesthetic properties.
Bergamot oil is used in aromatherapy and cosmetics since the late seventeenth century. It is the basis for most perfumes and creams. It is considered an antidepressant, perfectly soothes and relieves emotional stress. Bergamot oil helps with colds, inflammation of the throat.
The fruit of the bergamot came into the kitchen in the second half of the eighteenth century. Some Italian historians believe that in the 16th-century, bergamot was used in cooking: it is mentioned in the “simple menu” proposed by cardinal Lorenzo Camejo Emperor Charles V of Habsburg. The latter was in Rome in 1536.
Processed peel of bergamot is used to flavor appetizers, main dishes, and desserts. The juice of bergamot is used as a dressing for salads.