Let's talk about such an interesting drink as uzvar. What it is? This is a traditional national Ukrainian drink. It is prepared from dried fruits. In the old days it was cooked exclusively for Christmas. Now they drink it at any time of the year, even in summer, because it perfectly quenches thirst and has a very pleasant taste and aroma.
Useful properties of the pattern
Preparing dried fruit. There may be apples, pears, plums, cherries, raisins. Sometimes dried apricots and hawthorn fruits are added. The benefits of the Uzvar are determined precisely by the beneficial substances contained in berries and fruits. After all, it has long been known that the content of trace elements in dried fruits is higher than in fresh fruits. With proper preparation of the drink, it is possible to preserve all the vitamins (B 1 , B 2 , A, C).
Dried fruit is useful in many diseases. Doctors advise drinking it to strengthen immunity, especially in the spring, with gastrointestinal diseases, problems with the cardiovascular system. He is also able to remove toxins from the body. It is for this reason that it is prescribed for poisoning or intestinal diseases. Naturally, in this case it is not recommended to put cherries and plums in compote. The uzvar is prepared on the basis of apples. This helps to fasten the chair and improve motor skills. This is such a wonderful drink.
How to make a drink like an uzvar?
What is it - Uzvar? Many will say that this is a regular compote, only prepared not from fresh fruit, but from dried fruit. But this is not entirely true. An ordinary drink does not have as many beneficial properties as the Uzvar. You need to be able to cook it correctly in order to preserve in it all the most valuable.
Cooking a regular compote, you boil it for a while after you put the fruits and berries. You cannot do this with the Uzvar. It must be removed from the fire immediately after the water and dried fruits boil.
In general, before cooking, berries and fruits need to be thoroughly washed, sometimes they are even soaked so that they swell. There are several opinions on this score. You can soak dried fruits all night, this is what our grandmothers did. And you can dip them in water immediately before cooking for literally 15-20 minutes.
Honey or sugar in uzvar?
In principle, when we cook the uzvar, it is not necessary to observe any clear proportions. The more fruits you put, the more saturated the pattern will be. Not everyone likes it. Some housewives prefer a light unsaturated compote. This is a matter of your taste. As for sugar, it all depends on your preferences. We believe that the uzvar should certainly be sweet, and you decide how much sugar you put.
If you are preparing an uzvar for the first time (we have already figured out what it is), then until you decide on your personal preferences, you can observe the following proportions of ingredients: you can put half a kilogram of fruit and 250 grams of sugar on two liters of water.
There is another important nuance. Do not be surprised if the compote is not as sweet as you would like, although you put enough sugar. The fact is that the dried fruits themselves absorb some of it. That is why we recommend putting a little more sugar than in ordinary compote.
When the uzvar cools down a bit, you can add a couple of tablespoons of honey to it.
Is there any other way to make an uzvar?
What is it - Uzvar? All cookbooks say it is a soft drink made from dried berries and fruits, sometimes with a little honey. Probably, the name itself comes from the word "brew", because this drink can not be boiled. There is such a cooking recipe in which fruits and berries are poured with boiling water, then covered with a lid and infused. Of course, this method of preparation is considered more gentle, because it allows you to save all the nutritional properties and vitamins in this drink. However, it must be remembered that in this case it is imperative to insist on the Uzvar for a long time, otherwise it may turn out to be too light and unsaturated. They say that the longer he insists, the tastier and healthier it turns out.
You can only fill the drink with honey, and don’t put sugar at all. Sometimes, cloves and cinnamon are added to it, even the zest of lemon and orange. You need to be careful with the pattern for diabetics. They better not use it because of excessive sweetness.
Cooking kutia
To prepare a festive kutya, an uzvar is required. “What is Kutia?” - you ask. This is a traditional Christmas dish. It is prepared from wheat, raisins, poppy seeds, nuts. In the old days they said that the tastier the kutya, the richer the year will be. Such kutya was also called "rich."
To prepare it, you definitely need an uzvar. For kutia take ingredients such as:
- Refined wheat - 1 cup.
- Poppy - 130 g.
- Water - 250-300 g.
- Salt.
- Raisins (preferably light) - 150-170 g.
- Walnut (slightly fried) - 120 g.
- Natural honey - 4-5 tablespoons.
For the pattern you will need:
- Dried fruits - 200 g.
- Water - 2 glasses.
Wheat is thoroughly washed and cooked for at least two hours. However, before this, it should be soaked in water all night. This will facilitate the cooking process. The poppy should be steamed and left to brew for one hour. Then the excess liquid is drained and ground in a mortar with sugar or using a blender until milk appears. Raisins are also poured with boiling water.
As a rule, Christmas kutya is a generous kutya. It is seasoned not only with honey, but also with an uzvar, which is prepared very saturated. After it cools, honey is added to it.
Finished wheat is mixed with raisins, poppy seeds, nuts. You can add slices of chopped dried fruit from the drink. And then fill the kutia with uzvar and honey.
Instead of an afterword
Uzvar is a wonderful, healthy and vitamin drink. It can be cooked in the summer heat, it quenches thirst wonderfully. In addition, it is used for medicinal purposes. Even in the old days, the drink began to be prepared in the second half of winter, when the body was exhausted and was in great need of vitamins and useful elements. Try this miracle drink and appreciate its taste.