With the Seasons... Rhubarb

It's rhubarb season. From April to June, it's a delightful ingredient in our dishes. Many are familiar with rhubarb in cakes and desserts. Other recipes also combine it with fruits. Some even make rhubarb jam. It belongs to the buckwheat family and is a vegetable.

Rhubarb is low in calories, low in salt, and fat. Half a cup of rhubarb contains 13 calories and 1 gram of fiber. It also provides 5 percent of the daily calcium needs, 8 percent of the daily vitamin C needs, 5 percent of the potassium needs, and 22 percent of the daily required amount of vitamin K.

Rhubarb also contains oxalic acid. The content varies, with leaves containing the highest amounts, so they should not be eaten. Oxalic acid poisoning can cause muscle twitching, cramps, breathing problems, arrhythmias, nausea, pain, headaches, convulsions, and coma.

Buttermilk Pancakes with Rhubarb

Ingredients

(4 Servings)

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 400 ml (1 ½ cups) buttermilk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 thin-sliced rhubarb
• Optional: Some oil for the pan

Preparation

Sift flour into a bowl, then add all dry ingredients and mix. Make a well in the center. Mix buttermilk, egg, and vanilla extract with a fork, then add to the dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in the rhubarb. Optionally, add some oil to a pan, heat it, and pour a quarter of the batter into the pan, bake and turn after about 1 ½ minutes (when bubbles form). Briefly bake on the other side as well (until golden brown).

Tip: Combine with homemade fruit salad.

Nutritional Information (per serving):

• 226 kcal
• 2.6 g Fat
• 40 g Carbohydrates
• 1.5 g Fiber
• 10 g Protein
• 100 mg Salt