Preserved fruit preserves are a kind of snack food obtained by peeling, pickling and drying fresh fruits, which is the favorite of many foodies, not only sweet and sour, the original fruit flavor is strong, the nutritional value is also very high, and it is more convenient to carry and taste it than fresh fruit.
1. Processing method
Because everyone's preferences and tastes are different, the first point in choosing preserved fruit preserves depends on how they are processed.
(1) Beijing-style preserves
Beijing-style candied fruit is the most traditional way of making candied fruit, the most representative product is Beijing preserved fruit, also known as beimi, beijiao, according to legend, in the 18th year of the Ming Dynasty Yongle Ming Chengzu Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, was listed as a court tribute.
The use of the traditional secret recipe of the court, refined from various types of fresh fruits, the taste is moderately sweet and sour, refreshing and smooth and sweet but not greasy, fruity, common apricots, pears and begonias, etc., is recognized as a green food.
Ancient emperors used honey to soak fresh fruits, now more common is sugar liquid soaked fruit, can make sugar instead of fresh fruit moisture, the product color is very good, the processing is meticulous, the selection of materials is also very exquisite, the taste is soft and refreshing, is the first choice for sweet lovers Oh.
(2) Su-style preserves
Su-style candied fruit is also very famous, has always been exquisite in the selection of materials, fine production, unique shape, bright color, elegant flavor, has become a famous specialty in Jiangnan, representing the processing method is divided into two categories:
(1) Candied fruit: with a little sugar liquid on the surface, bright color and crisp flesh, sweet and refreshing, the original fresh fruit flavor is strong, the common forehead is sugar plum, carved plum, sugar bergamot, sugar fig and honey mandarin orange.
(2) Back to sand preserves: this kind of preserved fruit surface is dry, slightly frosted, the color is relatively fresh, the shape is unique, the crisp pine taste is sweet, commonly have Tianxiang jujube, sugar bayberry, Su-style plum and Suzhou orange cake.
For foodies who like moist taste, it is recommended to choose candied fruit, moist and sweet is very easy to enter; for foodies who do not like sticky taste, it is recommended to choose sand preserves, dry surface, not easy to stick hands.
(3) Cantonese candied fruit
Cantonese candied fruit to cool fruit and sugar-coated candied fruit as a representative product, the main place of production in Guangzhou, Chaozhou, Shantou, has a thousand years of history, a large number of exports to Southeast Asia and Europe and the United States, the basic choice of Cantonese candied fruit will not go wrong Oh.
(1) Cool fruit: licorice products, sweet and sour taste, salty and delicious, long aftertaste, common cream plum, tangerine plum, licorice bayberry and vanilla mango and so on.
(2) Sugar-coated candied fruit: the surface is relatively dry, similar to the Su-style candied fruit, the original fresh fruit has a strong taste, common sugar lotus seeds, sugar ginger, winter melon strips and honey pineapple.
Licorice flavor of preserved fruit, after eating the aftertaste with a cool taste, very suitable for foodies to taste in the summer Oh, sugar-coated preserves are relatively dry, very suitable for foodies who like non-stick hands to choose it.
(4) Fujian-style preserves
Fujian-style candied fruit, the main production area is Fujian Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, Fuzhou, mainly based on olive products, like to eat olive food, can not miss the Fujian-style candied Oh.
Fujian-style candied fruit is exported to Southeast Asia and Europe and the United States, is a unique cool fruit preserve in China, its biggest feature is the delicate and tight flesh, added flavor prominently, refreshing with aftertaste.
This kind of Fujian candied fruit is suitable for all ages, whether you love sweets or not, light Fujian-style preserves can satisfy your taste, commonly including Dafu fruit, clove olives, jayo seeds, peach slices and salt kumquats.
(5) Sichuan-style preserves
Sichuan-style candied fruit is a clear stream in the preserved fruit world, the main production area is the Neijiang region of Sichuan, which began in the Ming Dynasty, and the sweet taste of other regions is different, Sichuan-style candied fruit with a slight spicy taste.
There are famous Chinese and foreign orange red preserves, Sichuan melon sugar, honey pepper, honey melon, for foodies who can not accept spicy or bitter taste, do not easily try Sichuan flavor preserves, sugar liquid plus pepper combination is more suitable for spicy foodies.
The addition of chili peppers to traditional preserves helps to nourish the spleen and stomach, nourish the liver and kidneys, and is very suitable for people in hot and humid areas to eat, which can expel toxins from the body.
2. Ingredient content
There are many types of preserved fruits, but sugar is one of the main components of preserved fruits, for people who pursue health, how to choose delicious preserved fruits?
(1) Sugar content selection
The production process of preserved fruit will soak fresh fruit in sugar liquid, so that the sugar liquid will slowly replace the water in the fruit, which can lengthen the storage time of the fruit and make it more convenient to eat.
Therefore, sugar is the first major ingredient of preserved fruit, sugar-free and unhappy foodies, the higher the natural sugar, the better, but for the sake of health, it is recommended to choose less heavy preserved candy, that is, more than 70% sugar preserved fruit.
Light candy with a sugar content of about 64% is more suitable for sweet people to choose, the taste is sweet and palatable, the aftertaste is sweet, but it will not be too sweet, and there will be no symptoms of phlegm.
Do not like to eat too sweet foodies, it is recommended to choose fresh, American preserved fruit, generally less than 60% sugar, fresh fruit usually with vacuum infiltration process does not have to be able to heat, so the sweetness will not be particularly obvious.
The sweetness of American preserved fruits is particularly low, and the domestic habit of using white sugar to make preserved fruits is not the same, Americans prefer to convert their own sugar into preserved fruit sugar, the taste is sweet and sour, and the taste of fresh fruits is very close.
(2) Implicit salt sodium component
In addition to the choice of sugar, the sodium component in the preserved fruit should not be underestimated. Many people feel dry mouth after eating preserved fruit, which is usually an excess of sodium.
Table salt is composed of sodium chloride, of which sodium components account for 40%, so 1 gram of sodium can be converted into 2.5g of salt, no wonder when eating preserved fruit, the more you eat the drier it is.
The sodium content of the nutrition facts list of preserved fruit packaging is multiplied by 2.5 to obtain a salt content, and the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents clearly recommend that each adult's daily salt intake should not exceed 6g.
That is to say, the sodium component of a bag of preserved fruit can not be higher than 2.4g, eating more than a dozen salt intakes a day may occupy more than 50% of the day, we are better to choose preserved fruit with low sodium content.
(3) Additive ingredients
For preserved fruits, pigments, flavoring agents, preservatives and other additive ingredients are unavoidable ingredients, in order to get a more attractive color and wonderful taste, preserved fruits will have additive ingredients.
There are 7-8 kinds of additives, more than 10 kinds, for the common pigment to add carmine, soluble in water, good stability, basically harmless to the human body, as long as the control within a reasonable range can be.
Don't hear the additive on the discoloration, in fact, large brands of preserved fruit, are within the scope of scientific and reasonable use of additives, but it is not recommended to consume excessive dried fruit every day, additives accumulate in the human body, which is not good for physical health.
3. Appearance and morphology
Finally, after we buy the satisfactory preserved fruit, we still need to observe its appearance, and the appearance will also reveal a lot of information.
(1) Product packaging
First of all, the outer packaging of the preserved fruit should meet the requirements of the standard regulations. The standard stipulates that the packaging must indicate the name of the food, the ingredient list, the net content, the name and address of the manufacturer and distributor, the date of production, the shelf life, the product standard number, etc.
It is not recommended to choose any of the preserved fruit preserves, especially the roadside spread preserved fruit preserves, do not buy Oh, because it is impossible to ensure shelf life and ingredients.
(2) Look at the shape color
After opening the package, we can directly observe the appearance and color of the preserved fruit, if the preserved fruit with sand, hair and other impurities, must not be selected, indicating that the packaging is not tight, mixed with impurities and bacteria.
It is recommended to buy preserved fruit with full particles, size, thin thickness, dry humidity and basically the same, the fruit should be round, and the outer skin is not damaged.
Excessive color of preserved fruit, not recommended to choose, may add excessive pigment, to cover up the original color, good preserved fruit color should be close to the hue of the original fresh fruit.
(3) Smell the smell
Open the package, if the preserved fruit has a strong odor, that is, the smell of chemical agents, it is not recommended to buy Oh, may be preserved with excessive chemical additives.
The smell of excessively sweet preserved fruit preserves is not recommended to choose, and excessive flavor may be added to cover up the bad taste of the original fresh fruit, and good preserved fruit preserves have a fruity aroma with the fruit itself.
(4) Taste the taste
It is best not to choose too sweet preserved fruit preserves, it may be that the candied fruit has been added with cyclamate, sodium saccharin and other additives, which strengthens the taste of the preserved fruit, but it is not good for human health.
After eating 1-2 candied fruits, immediately feel dry mouth and dry tongue of candied fruit, it is not recommended to choose, may be too high sodium content, which will increase our daily salt intake.
It is recommended to choose preserved fruit with moderate sweetness and sourness, close to the taste of the original fresh fruit, sweet and delicious in taste, moist and full, and the aftertaste is not dry, which belongs to the relatively high-quality preserved fruit.
As one of the best snack foods in the hearts of foodies, have you learned the specific selection of preserves?