Nardek (watermelon honey)

The most aromatic watermelon honey or nardek, which is boiled from the juice of a completely ripened striped berry, is ranked among the numerous inventions of the cuisine of Central Asia, which was subsequently adopted by the Don Cossacks. Over time, all melons began to cook nardek (watermelon honey), since preserving the harvest until the new season was a guarantee of the well-fed life of a large family. And today it is boiled in Central Asia, in the south of Russia, as well as in the Lower Volga region.

A distinctive feature of nardek (watermelon honey) is that it is prepared without adding sugar. By the way, bekmes (grape honey), irchal (bekmes, but with berries), as well as cue (honey made on the basis of fruits with added sugar) are considered close relatives of this product. The word "nardek" itself is characterized by its Turkish origin, where "nardak" means pomegranate juice syrup.

The modern use of nardek (watermelon honey) is quite extensive - this product is usually used as a fragrant dessert, which is served with hot drinks instead of jam or jam. In Cossack villages, for example, they pour pancakes, pancakes, casseroles, crumpets with nardec (watermelon honey), and also often eat it with a piece of fresh bread. In addition, this thick syrup can be used as a filling when baking pies, cheesecakes, cookies or make watermelon candied fruits based on it.

Traditionally, nardek (watermelon honey) in Cossack villages was prepared in late autumn - a time when the main harvest of watermelons was already sold out. From the small pot-bellied berries, which were cut in half, the juicy flesh was taken out with spoons and passed through a frequent hair sieve. The resulting watermelon juice was poured into a large cast iron vat, which was placed on an open fire. This juice had to boil until it turned into a thick brown syrup with a characteristic watermelon aroma.

Moreover, interestingly, the density of nardek (watermelon honey) was determined by the duration of boiling: as a rule, the consistency of the syrup was similar to young honey. The finished product was then poured into glass jars and sealed for the winter, or stored in clay pots in a cool basement.

The calorie content of nardek (watermelon honey), surprisingly, is small, although it contains up to 60% sugar. The nutritional value of the product is only 110 kcal, which are present in 100 grams of this aromatic dessert. That is why the use of nardek is recommended even for patients with diabetes. In addition, watermelon honey helps with colds - they can be gargled with sore throat.