Cider
Cider is a low alcohol drink similar to champagne. The preparation of cider consists of fermenting fruit juices (usually apples and pears) without yeast. An interesting fact is that in North America, cider is called a non-alcoholic apple drink. Traditionally, this drink was made in France and Spain.
Although cider has been known since antiquity, legend attributes the invention of the drink to Charlemagne. During the trip, he allegedly sat down on a sack of overripe apples, they crushed and turned out to be cider. In the Middle Ages, cider was a festive drink among French peasants.
Cider is usually greenish or golden in color, has a characteristic apple aroma, its strength ranges from 1 to 8% by volume, and the taste range is from dry to sweet. The sweeter the cider, the less alcohol it contains. Cider is more sparkling than champagne - after pouring the drink into a glass, bubbles remain in it much longer. A good cider must be transparent, without haze and sediment.
Cider quenches thirst well, does not contain food additives and dyes. It is traditionally consumed with baked goods, pancakes, dry ciders go well with seafood and cheese. Cider is often included in various cocktail recipes. Cider is served in champagne glasses chilled to 6 - 8 degrees.
In addition to alcohol, the drink contains tannins and pectin substances, citric, malic and acetic acid, trace elements and sugars. It has been observed that the regular use of cider in small quantities serves as the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.
Cider should not be drunk in case of diabetes mellitus, diseases of the pancreas, biliary tract and liver, hypertension, atherosclerosis.
Getting cider
You don't get cider from ordinary apples - they have too little tannin. For the preparation of cider, special varieties have been developed. Squeeze apples with a membrane press.
Almost all of its aroma and taste is derived from the green apple skin, which is why it is so important to keep the skin intact before the fermentation process. Fermentation lasts about 2 months, after which the cider matures for 6 - 12 months on natural lees.
Real cider can be tasted in some restaurants in Europe, where the exact recipe for making cider and the rituals associated with it are observed.
You can try making cider at home. To do this, you must first of all choose the right variety of apples - they should not be very sweet and at the same time sufficiently ripe. Experts recommend taking Aport, Antonovka, Borovinka and Renet from common apple varieties. Apples should be washed and peeled from stalks and rot, and then passed through a meat grinder or other similar device.
Sugar is added to the resulting mass, covered with a cloth and placed in a sufficiently warm place for several days. Then you should strain the infusion, discarding the cake, and add sugar again at the rate of 100 - 130 g per 1 liter of the resulting juice. At this stage, the drink should be covered and left to ferment for about 20 more days. Then it is carbonated using a siphon and tightly corked in jars and bottles so that it will stand for about 3 more months. If cider is prepared correctly at home, then after drinking it there is no hangover.
Calorie content of cider
The calorie content of cider differs from one cider to another. It depends on the sugar content of the drink. So, dry cider contains 40 kcal per 100 g, and sweet 47 kcal per 100 g of drink. Cider causes mild intoxication when consumed, so it can be drunk a lot at a time. One cup of cider has an average of 117 calories. Nutritionists do not recommend including this drink in the diet of obese people due to the calorie content of cider.
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