WHAT IS RHUBARB
Rhubarb, Rheum rhabarbarum, is a vegetable in the family Polygonaceae.
The leaf stalks (petioles) are crisp like celery with a strong, tart taste. Rhubarb looks like rosy-pink celery, but is no relation (celery is a member of the Apiaceae family).
Before it was sweetened by British cooks and turned into pies and other desserts, it was added to soups (try it in lentil soup), sauces and stews—Moroccan tagines and Middle Eastern stews, for example. In the current rhubarb renaissance, it is braised and served with meats and as a savory garnish.
Be sure to cook only the stems; the leaves, though lovely in appearance, are mildly toxic.
While rhubarb is botanically considered a vegetable, a New York court decided in 1947 that since it was used in the United States as a fruit, it counted as a fruit for the purposes of regulations and duties. A side effect was a reduction on imported rhubarb tariffs, as tariffs were higher for vegetables than fruits. [Source: Wikipedia]
And that’s only one example. Science notwithstanding, on May 10, 1893, tomatoes, a red fruit/berry of the nightshade family, were declared a vegetable by the United States Supreme Court. At the time, there were import tariffs on vegetables but not fruits, yet tomatoes were still being subjected to the tax.
In 1887, an importing company had sued the tax collector of the port of New York to recover back duties collected on their tomatoes, which they claimed had been wrongfully classified as vegetables. The Court decided that the tariff act should be based “in common language of people,” not botanists, so tomatoes should be taxed like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, beets etc.
More proof that justice is blind.
MORE RHUBARB RECIPES FROM TASTE OF HOME
Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
Pineapple Rhubarb Jam
Rhubarb Scones
Rhubarbecue
Strawberry Rhubarb Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
________________
*Rhubarb is a vegetable often thought by many to be a fruit. Although botanically a vegetable (a member of the buckwheat family), in 1947 the USDA classified it as a fruit because the tariffs on bringing fruits into the country were lower on fruits than vegetables.
It’s a vegetable because it’s the edible leaf stalk (petiole) of the plant, not the fruit (the seed-bearing ovary). While often used in sweet preparations like pies and jams, it’s not fruit. Under the same classification, hot chile peppers are fruits. The easiest way to tell if it’s a fruit: Does it carry its seeds inside, like an apple or a peach? Or a chile pepper? (Note: some berries are an exception to the rule: strawberry and raspberry, for example are actually a multiple fruit which consists of many tiny individual fruits (the seeds) embedded in a fleshy receptacle. They are known as aggregate accessory fruits.
CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.
|
