/ˈruːbɑːb/
I discovered rhubarb late in life. I think I can safely blame my primary school for that. I remember eating some crumble and nearly throwing up. It was so sour and claggy leaving a disgusting taste in my mouth. Cooked properly it’s fantastic.
It’s actually native to Siberia! It grows easily in the UK though and lives for about 10-15 years quite happily. Only the beautiful rosey, stalks are edible. The huge green leaves that grow are said to be poisonous.
Rhubarb has very few calories – there are about 21 to 100g and has no saturated fats or cholesterol.
The stalks are rich in A, B and K vitamins. The redder the stalk the more vitamin A there’s likely to be. (Vitamin A is great for keeping the integrity of our skin and mucus membranes. It is also an essential vitamin for good eye health and vision).
Rhubarb stalks also provide good amounts of Vitamin K – 100g of fresh stalks provide about a quarter of the daily recommended intake. We’re all given Vitamin K injections at birth in this country because it helps with bone formation and strengthening. Research also shows that good levels of Vitamin K in our diet can help limit neural damage in the brain. I like that the most because it saves me doing crosswords and Sudoku which I hate!
Recipes using Rhubarb
The lovely Gregg Wallace takes a trip up to Yorkshire and a forced rhubarb grower
