Berries are well known to mankind and have been eaten since the stone age when sources of food were limited. An edible, tiny fruit, berries are juicy, round, brightly coloured, sweet, or sometimes sour, and mostly without a pit. Berries are not just succulent to eat but provide a range of health incentives as well. Like all berries that have the potential ability to boost health, one such rare berry often called rowanberries is a small, acidic fruit that grows on medium-sized shrubs. Also Called Mountain Ash, European Mountain Ash, Quickbeam, Keirn, Witch Wiggin Tree, and Caorthann, the berry goes by the scientific name Sorbus aucuparia and interestingly, belongs to the rose family of Rosaceae. This minuscule-sized fruit brings stupendous health benefits that may come as a pleasant surprise. Super high in vitamin C with a copious amount of carotene, it also has significant levels of iron, potassium, and magnesium.

Also Read: Goji Berries: Bounteous Health Benefits Of This Bright Red Tiny Fruit

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The Rowan Berry Plant

Commonly found throughout the UK and Ireland and many parts of Europe, the rowan berry is not technically a berry per se but a pome fruit instead because to be a berry, a fruit must have two or more seeds while pome is a single fruit that emerges from a single flower. It is a deciduous shrub that may grow up to a height of about twenty meters but still comes under the category of a shrub. Their leaves are pinnate structures with 10 to 20 leaflets. The creamy white color five-petaled flowers generally grow in clusters. The soft and juicy fruit is dark orange, pink, or sometimes yellow.

Culinary Benefits Of Rowan Berry

Commonly these berries are ideal to be used in the preparation of wines, jellies, jams, marmalades pies, and even soups. The fruit is slightly bitter hence it needs a little bit of sugar to enhance its taste. The fruit once cooked or frozen is delicious and absolutely safe to eat. Rowan berries are also widely used in alcoholic beverages such as liqueurs and many types of wines. 

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The rowan fruit and rowan fruit juice may boast many health benefits such as:

  • The berries can eradicate cancer cells in the body and intensify the production of healthy cells and tissues
  • Rowan contains significant amounts of antioxidants that help to control premature ageing, thus enhancing the skin's overall elasticity
  • The berry helps to improvise vision besides combatting problems of macular degeneration
  • Vitamin C contents help in boosting the production of collagen which is needed for healthy skin and to restore the body’s blood vessels
  • Sorbic acid in rowanberries aids in nullifying the microbial and bacterial components that may the prime reason for several health issues
  • By strengthening the gastrointestinal system, rowan aids proper digestion and helps to eradicate problems of constipation
  • Rowan juice helps in reducing the inflammation of the respiratory tract
  • The berries help to give relief from sore throat and severe nasal congestion

Also Read: Blueberry: A Super Succulent Fruit With Bounteous Health Incentives-Recipe

Dried rowan berries are available in many grocery stores and can be substituted for fresh ones to make a delectable recipe. So, here is one simple yet tangy and yummy chutney recipe that can be made from Rowan berries. This can be stored in the refrigerator and used whenever you feel like giving a treat to your taste buds!

Rowan Berry Chutney
rowan berry

Ingredients

500 grams Rowan Berries

2 large apples

1 small onion

2 tbsp sugar syrup

A pinch of salt

1 tbsp ginger powder

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 piece star anise

1 cinnamon stick

½ lemon juice

Method

Mix all the above-mentioned ingredients in a large pan 

Bring to a boil for about twenty to thirty minutes

Continue to boil the mixture until the water has evaporated

Check if it has turned thick and mushy 

Strain the star anise and cinnamon

Let it cool down

Refrigerate and enjoy the chutney with your favourite food

Nutrition

The berry has antioxidant properties that can help fight free radicals from the body. Being high in Vitamin C, rowan berry also helps to bolster skin health besides giving an uplift to the immune system. Vitamin C content can also heal asthmatic symptoms.