Rally around rhubarb
Rhubarb remains an American favorite, not only for its sweet-tart appeal (strawberry-rhubarb pie), but also as a healthy mecca of vitamins and nutrients.
The folklore: Rhubarb pairs so perfectly with strawberries and other sweet fruits in tarts, jams, cobblers and pies that it’s known as the “pie plant” and is often mistaken as a fruit. However, this ancient vegetable traces back to 2700 BC China, where it was used medicinally as a laxative and to reduce fever. Marco Polo is said to have sung rhubarb’s praises in Europe, and Ben Franklin is credited with bringing rhubarb seeds to North America in 1772, though it took until the 1900s for rhubarb to gain culinary popularity.
The facts: Along with sorrel, rhubarb (Rheum rhabarbarum) is part of the buckwheat family. Rhubarb’s celerylike stalks, which may be red, pink, green or a combination, are edible, but the green leaves are toxic when eaten in large amounts, as a result of high levels of oxalates and anthraquinone glycosides. There are many rhubarb varieties, such as Victoria, Cherry Red and MacDonald, which differ in color, sweetness and region, but they all pack a powerful nutrient punch. Each 1-cup serving of rhubarb provides 45 percent daily value (based on 2,000 calories per day) of vitamin K for healthy blood function, 10 percent DV of calcium to strengthen bones, and 16 percent DV of antioxidant vitamin C to help ward off infection.
The findings: Rhubarb seeds contain 10 antioxidant polyphenols (plant chemicals), well-known for their health-protecting properties, including anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activity
Science, 2015). One of them, quercetin, has been shown in a laboratory study to kill and prevent the growth of breastcancer cells (Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine, 2013). Rhubarb also contains tannins, another powerful polyphenol, (Biomed Research
International, 2014), as lab studies are showing.
The finer points: April through June is peak season for fresh rhubarb. Look for firm, blemish-free stalks topped with healthy, not wilted, leaves. Refrigerate unwashed stalks up to two weeks, or chop and freeze them for later. Raw rhubarb is quite tart, so it’s best cooked or baked. Pair with one of the many seasonal fruits for a delightful dessert, or stew chopped rhubarb with
fruit juice or sugar to top hot cereal or yogurt. For a savory twist, cook rhubarb with onions, raisins, olive oil and herbs for a delicious chutney, or puree rhubarb into a sauce or dressing to accompany poultry, pork, fish or spinach salad.