Uzvar
Uzvar is a traditional Ukrainian drink made from dried fruits, which has become widespread in Russia. In the old days, uzvar was prepared mainly for Christmas, but today it is prepared, sold and bought at any time of the year, even in summer, despite the abundance of fruits and berries, since it has a pleasant, not cloying taste, and it quenches thirst well.
What is the use of Uzvar
Dried apples and pears, raisins are used to prepare the uzvar. Additionally, you can take prunes, cherries, dried apricots, hawthorn fruits. So, the benefits of the uzvar are due to the beneficial properties of these fruits and berries. It is known that dried fruits contain more trace elements than fresh fruits.
Thanks to the above components, when properly prepared, the uzvar, which we will talk about later, contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and pectin, fiber, which is useful for the brain, are very important for the intestinal function. Pears and apples, which are necessarily used to prepare a drink, are antioxidants, so the use of Uzvar allows you to remove free radicals from the body.
It was also noticed that, depending on the fruits that are additionally used for making a drink, the dried fruit uzvar relieves inflammation, strengthens the immune system, increases hemoglobin, improves the functioning of the intestines and the gastrointestinal tract as a whole, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and also tones, removes salts and "Bad" cholesterol.
For those who want to improve the work of the intestines, prunes should be added to the uzvar; those with reduced immunity - hawthorn; for those who suffer from high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases - dried apricots. By the way, if you cook an uzvar, which contains a lot of dried apricots, and don't sweeten it, you will get an excellent diuretic with vitamins.
Uzvar is also known as a hangover remedy - because it invigorates, helps to get rid of accumulated toxins.
How to cook dried fruit uzvar
The method of preparation of the drink plays a significant role. This is not an ordinary compote, which is boiled for some time after boiling water - the uzvar is removed from the stove immediately after the water with dried fruits boils.
Before boiling the uzvar, dried fruits are washed if necessary and soaked in water so that they become soaked and swollen. There are two opinions about how much to soak dried fruits: you can leave them overnight (this is what our grandmothers did), or you can only for 10-15 minutes.
Proportions for cooking uzvar: take approximately 400 grams of dried fruit per 2 liters of water. Sugar for this amount of water needs to take about 250 grams, and honey - about one and a half tablespoons (50-60 grams).
There is also such a recipe for making an uzvar, in which it is advised to simply pour boiling water over the prepared dried fruits and leave them under the lid. This method is considered less "traumatic" for fruits, they lose less vitamins. Only in this case, you should definitely insist on the drink, otherwise the uzvar will turn out to be weak.
Uzvar is traditionally seasoned with honey when the drink cools down. Those who do not have this option, or are allergic to honey, can use sugar. It is usually poured into water before it boils. You can enhance the taste of the drink with cloves, cinnamon, lemon or orange peel.
What is more important, the uzvar must be insisted from several hours to several days. Moreover, the more it is infused, the tastier and healthier it is.
Uzvar harm
The drink should be used with caution for diabetics. It is better for them not to sweeten the uzvar at all, since the fruit already contains glucose.
For the rest, the uzvar is only useful, the only thing is, if a person has an intolerance to apples, pears, raisins, etc., then, as usual, he should refuse, either from uzvar, or not use allergenic fruits when preparing a drink.
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