Characteristics of the spice anardana, from what and how it is made. Calorie content, chemical composition, therapeutic effect and possible harm. Use in cooking and medicine, the possibility of purchase.
Anardana is a spice of Indian and Pakistani cuisine, dried pomegranate seeds of the Punica granatum variety. May be dry or sticky to the touch; texture - grainy, can be soft, like chewing candy, or hard, almost "stone"; the color depends on the method of preparation, it can be dark brown, red-brown, black-burgundy, dark gray with red and white blotches; taste - sour, tart, slight bitterness is possible. Consumers are offered by weight or prepackaged in sachets. In India or Iran, they may offer a lump of stuck together seeds. After purchase, you have to dry it yourself.
How is anardana spice made?
The photo shows how the anardana spice is made from dried pomegranate.
To prepare a seasoning from dried pomegranate, they collect medium-sized fruits - no more than 6, 3 cm in diameter - from wild trees, which are mainly found in the southern Himalayas. They are not eaten fresh - they are too sour. It is believed that they reached ripeness when the peel has hardened, darkened and became brittle, and 83-94% of the seeds are ripe, have acquired a ruby color.
Peel the pomegranate and try to remove as many white partitions as possible. Previously, the grains were laid out in one layer on iron baking sheets or roofs, sometimes covered with gauze, and then dried in the sun for 10-14 days. The disadvantage of such processing is the not very high-quality final product, which has to be additionally sorted out. But it is very difficult to completely get rid of wind-blown dust, insects and their excrement by hand.
Now the sanitary and hygienic requirements for the quality of dried pomegranate spices have increased. After harvesting, the fruits must be washed, dried in the sun and only then cleaned. Dehydration can be carried out in special vacuum installations, but
more often dryers are used. The duration of the process is 5 hours at 60 ° C or 48 hours at 45 ° C. The maximum moisture content of the final product is 12-18%.
If, during presale preparation, the seeds are packed in airtight bags, they are lightly fried to enhance the flavor. If sold raw, heat treatment is carried out immediately before use. Sometimes dried pomegranate is ground into powder.
The method of making a condiment can be recognized by the quality of the texture. Dryer dried for a long time - dry and firm; with short-term heat treatment - soft, but crumbly. And dried naturally, under the sun's rays, it is so sticky that it is often called pomegranate molasses.
In the villages of India, located in the Chenab valley of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, the spice is made not only from the seeds, but also from the dried leaves of the plant. This additive improves taste and enhances the effect on the human body.
The composition and calorie content of anardana
The energy value and vitamin and mineral composition of dried pomegranate seeds depend on the plant variety, growing conditions, region, weather conditions, type and quality of soil. Changes are minor when using dried pomegranate spice for culinary purposes.
The seeds of the subtropical fruit are used not only for food purposes, but also for medical purposes. They are introduced into a medicinal product: the trade name is "Pachak Anardana Goli", therefore, chemical studies are carried out for each batch individually.
The calorie content of anardana is 58, 75-65 kcal per 100 g, of which:
- Proteins - 0.83 g;
- Fat - 0.2 g;
- Carbohydrates - 13, 2-22 g.
Among vitamins, ascorbic acid predominates, but also a high amount of niacin, tocopherol, retinol, choline, thiamine, pyridoxine, niacin, riboflavin. Among the mineral components are: calcium, potassium, sodium, iron, phosphorus, nitrogen, iodine, selenium, cobalt.
The most valuable components are phytocompounds resembling the steroid hormone estradiol in structure and effect on the human body; and anthocyanins, which have a pronounced antioxidant effect.
Anardana contains other equally useful substances: phenolic compounds, starch, glucose, fructose, pectin in small quantities, tannins and organic acids - malic, citric, tartaric. The stickiness of pomegranate seeds, even with prolonged drying, remains due to the high content of oil (in fresh grains it is up to 76% relative to other chemical compounds).
One of the components of pomegranate oil is thioctic acid, which has pronounced regenerative properties, accelerates metabolic processes, lowers blood sugar and accelerates fat burning.
Useful properties of anardan spice
In the photo, the spice of anardana from dried pomegranate
As already mentioned, the use of dried pomegranate has found widespread use in Vedic Ayurveda medicine and among traditional healers in India and Pakistan. Anthocyanins have antioxidant properties, isolate free radicals and radionuclides, stop the production of atypical cells and suppress the formation of tumors, especially in the area of the breast and prostate, ovaries and rectum.
The benefits of anardana
- It has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, improves immunity.
- Stimulates the production of pancreatic enzymes, accelerates the digestion of food and stimulates the movement of the food lump along the digestive tract, stops fermentation and putrefactive processes of the intestine.
- Reduces the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, increases the tone of the vascular walls and improves blood circulation.
- Reduces the incidence of HIV infection escalating into AIDS.
- Reduces cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
- Strengthens bone tissue, prevents osteoporosis, slows down degenerative-dystrophic changes in the musculoskeletal system.
For women, adding seasoning to the diet normalizes the menstrual cycle, eliminates painful sensations and reduces blood separation, and for men restores erectile function.
Another important property of anardan seasoning is fat burning. The acceleration of metabolism is not limited to the digestive tract, but extends to all organs and systems. Harmful cholesterol is removed from the body, fatty layer is not formed under the superficial epithelium and internal organs, cellulite deposits are dissolved. Weight is kept at the same level even with an inactive lifestyle.
And in Ayurveda, the spice is used as an elixir to prolong life. It is diluted with water and drunk as a tonic, or mixed with herbs and used to eliminate various diseases.
