When you stop to think about food preparation, what is the first image that comes to your mind? For many, the image would likely be one of somebody in a kitchen seasoning a piece of meat to be grilled or chopping vegetables that will be used in the preparation of a side dish. Of course, the skills of being able to adjust seasonings and correctly use a knife are important for any cook to possess, yet there are many other procedures that extend beyond this. We may easily forget about the importance of pickling, fermentation and preservation. I do have to confess that I often overlook these methods and I found it somewhat challenging to think of how to prepare something in one of these ways. Knowing that these techniques have been used for many generations, I decided to ask some of my family members about the foods that come to their mind when hearing about these methods. Interestingly, it was my mother who mentioned to me about having tried a quite interesting Greek preserve prepared by my grandmother in her childhood using baby eggplants. She then went on to tell me that this was a Greek spoon sweet preparation which involved preserving the eggplants in the way that more traditional fruit would be prepared. Spoon sweets, as they are referred to in Greece, are usually small pieces of fruit preserved in a sugar syrup and served on a spoon placed on a glass dish to guests that visit your home. When I heard that this was one of the rarer forms of spoon sweets, and knowing that I have a huge distaste for eggplants, I decided that I needed to preserve some eggplants for myself using this traditional Greek method to see if it could get me to change my opinions towards it. When it comes to preserving fruit, or in my case eggplant, sugar is one of the most important ingredients. Preserving fruit with sugar can be traced back in our history to times when people would place pieces of fruit into sweet liquids such as honey or reduced juice from wine grapes (McGee, 2004). Typically, a large amount of sugar is used in combination with the fruit to be preserved (Brown & Picard, 1935). The ratio of sugar to fruit may vary depending on the recipe, yet it is common for each pound of fruit to be preserved with ¾ pounds of sugar (Powell, 2001). When you look at my recipe below, you will see that I used an equal ratio of fruit to sugar by weight. The addition of sugar will make the preserve pleasingly sweet, yet it serves an even greater purpose beyond this. By adding sugar, we can prevent any bacteria or yeast from growing in our preserves (Powell, 2001). When preserving with sugar, the first step in preparation often involves cooking the product to be preserved so that the natural pectin it contains can be extracted (McGee, 2004). Sugar is added, which then dissolves and binds with water molecules resulting in the extraction of moisture from within the cells of the product we are trying to preserve (McGee, 2004). An acid, such as lemon juice, is then often added to help prevent any of the pectin chains from being broken down (McGee, 2004). In the recipe below, you will notice that the eggplant was left immersed within the syrup over night before being boiled again the following day. This aids in allowing the syrup to permeate the fruit, helping to plump it up so that it retains its shape (Powell, 2001). You can cook the syrup to a much thicker consistency by boiling it again the next day, which is often the tradition with Greek spoon sweets. It is important that once the process of making the preserve has been completed, you allow the product to cool before placing it into sterilized jars. This is a crucial step, as moulds may end up growing on the product if it is not stored in a sterilized container and sealed correctly (Powell, 2001). Proper sealing can be achieved by immersing the tightly closed and filled jars in a hot water bath that is heated between 180 – 190 °F for approximately 30 minutes (Powell, 2001). Below is the recipe used for my eggplant spoon sweet preparation, along with photographs of the process and the final product. I have also included a photogaph showing how a Greek spoon sweet would typically be presented and served to a guest on a platter accompanied by a Greek coffee and a glass of water. My final product turned out to be a great success and earned my grandmothers seal of approval (which tends to be a rare occurrence). In terms of how it appealed to the five basic senses, I found that it was extremely sweet due to the large amount of sugar used in the preservation. This sweetness was noticeable both within the syrup and the interior of the preserved eggplant. The outer purple flesh of the eggplant did, however, appeal to the bitter sense. Interestingly, the almond also tasted somewhat bitter and seemed to have soaked up some of the raw flavour of the eggplant. I was unable to sense any saltiness, sourness or umami.
When it comes to the taste of this preserve, I found it quite interesting that it had a high level of sweetness and that most of the raw eggplant flavour I had expected was not present. It was a strange play on the senses to eat this preserve and find that the almond contained in the centre had a slight raw eggplant taste while the rest of the preserve tasted very sweet. The smell was not strong, and reminded me of the sweet golden syrup that I used to bake with while living in New Zealand. This preserve kept its original round shape, yet the flesh managed to get slightly wrinkled. The eggplants looked very shiny due to the syrup that coated them. I found that the finished product appeared to resemble a prune on its exterior, yet when cut open, the rich caramel coloured interior reminded me of the figs my grandmother used to bring back from Greece. When eating this preserve, you could hear a slight squishy noise and there was no audible crunch other than a very slight amount that came from biting down on the almond. The eggplants felt somewhat soft to the touch with their exterior being quite sticky from the syrup. If I was to eat this preserve without having known what it was, I would have easily thought that it was some sort of fig jam based on the flavour and appearance. The most unique aspect of this preserve, and the main reason for why I wanted to try preparing it, is that it uses eggplant and prepares it in the way that a more traditional fruit would be prepared for a Greek spoon sweet. Despite eggplant technically being a fruit, it is often considered a vegetable by many and is usually seasoned and prepared as such. It was interesting to see that eggplant can in fact be prepared along the lines of a more traditional fruit. Overall, I found that my preservation of baby eggplants in the style of a Greek spoon sweet was a success. I was a little bit worried at first that the eggplants would totally melt and lose their shape but was pleased to see that they held up to the heavy syrup and high heat. I would, however, likely omit placing an almond inside each eggplant if I were to make this recipe again. I found that despite the almond appearing as a delicate ‘surprise’ within the centre of the eggplants, the raw eggplant taste it soaked up was somewhat off-putting. Also, the process of wrapping each eggplant with string was extremely time-consuming and felt rather unnecessary. A better option would be to place a handful of almonds into the syrup close to the end of cooking instead. This would avoid them from soaking up the raw eggplant taste and save time by not having to tie each eggplant. If you are a fan of eggplants and want to try something unusual, then this recipe may be something interesting for you to try but if you have a distaste for eggplants then this recipe will likely not be for you. I enjoyed this preservation experience and the uniqueness of this dish, but next time I will likely stick to preserving some nice Bing cherries when they are in season instead. References: Brown, F. L., & Picard, O. G. (1936). Home Preservation of Food: Preservation of Foods With Sugar. McGee, H. (2004). Preserving fruits and vegetables. In On food and cooking: The science and lore of the kitchen (pp.291-299). New York: Scribner. Powell, O. (2001). Successful canning and preserving. Applewood Books.
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AuthorHi everyone. I'm Peter, and I have decided to follow my passion and pursue a career in cooking. I look forward to connecting with you all. Archives
February 2017
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