Fresh cranberries: This is how you eat the pretty, red superfood – recipe tips

Getrocknete CranberriesWe all know it, but at the moment we're seeing it more and more oftenfresh cranberriesin the supermarkets. However, anyone who has ever bitten into a fresh berry may wonder why. Because the pretty, bright red berries are very sour and, above all, bitter when raw. However, how can you still enjoy it?healthy (and delicious!) we'll tell you.

Like so many bitter foodsCranberriesreich anAntioxidants, which have a particularly anti-inflammatory effect. The berries are also richVitamin C,while at the same time having little sugar, but lots of itfibercontain. This makes the berries very healthy and a great source of nutrients and secondary plant substances that are essential for our healthand oursare generally very good.

While the bitter berries are still rather rare here, they are in theUSAhas been popular for a long time - especially for themHolidays. Cranberries are served there in three main forms: AsCranberry sauce(comparable to our cranberries from the jar), asStuffing for Christmas roastand in theirsdried form, which is also a popular topping for salads and mueslis. We are already very enthusiastic about cranberries there, which is why we should definitely try them in their fresh form - or process them further, as it takes a lot of sugar to make the raw fruits edible. But alsocan help...

Cranberry sauce:The favorite at Thanksgiving in the USA is cranberry sauce. It is traditionally served with roast turkey, but like cranberries, it also goes well with cheese etc.

This is easy to do: heat 200 g of sugar in 250 ml of water until it boils. Then add 350 g of washed and picked cranberries and let everything cook for a good 10 minutes until all the berries have burst and softened. Then let the sauce cool, as it thickens even further.

For frying:Cranberries also go well with a variety of herbs and meat. The fruit is therefore a great addition to roasts that you can put in the oven with the meat. They add a fruity, fresh note and can be used either in thebe used or taken out beforehand, like herbs.

In Desserts:Here you can follow similar steps to the cranberry sauce and cook down the cranberries. Then the berries are very suitable for layered desserts, with waffles or as a counterpart to sweet pears. The sour berries also make a fruity change in very sweet muffins. To do this, you can simply halve the berries and spread them on top of the raw muffin dough with a little sugar. After baking, you get a nice sweet and sour topping.

For salads:Cranberries are also ideal as an unusual salad dressing. To do this, you can puree some raw berries with some oranges and then process them into a sweet and sour vinaigrette with olive oil and a little mustard, as well as salt, sugar and pepper. Then the berry is the ideal addition to winter salads such as lamb's lettuce or legumes.

For cocktails: While cranberry juice is a classic inLike Cosmopolitan, the pretty berries themselves are also a great decoration for winter drinks. Whether in a punch or a cosmo – many drinks simply look more Christmassy with a pretty berry and a sprig of rosemary. But the berries can also be practical: If you freeze them in advance, the cranberries turn into small ice cubes - without melting.