syrup

The Persian expression mey be, which according to the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) can be translated as "Quince nectar", came to classical Arabic as maybah. Later, this term passed into Hispanic Arabic as syrup. Finally, the concept arrived in Spanish as syrup.

Syrup is called sugar that is dissolved in a certain amount of water and that is brought to the fire to acquire a consistency similar to that of the syrup. It can be said, in this way, that the syrup is a sugar and water dissolution that was cooked so that thicken.

The characteristics of the syrup depend on the weather dedicated to cooking and amount of sugar that dissolves in water. Depending on how these two factors combine, the syrup can be hard or almost runny.

In order to prepare a good syrup, you have to take into account a series of tricks like these:
-You do not have to use cold water, but natural, as they say, from time.
-The syrup must be cooked over low heat.
-The spoon used for the whole process of making the syrup is recommended to be made of wood. Why? Because it will not influence the temperature and, in addition, it will preserve the flavor of all the products.
-The syrups that have less sugar is essential that they be kept cold.
-If it is considered that when cooling it will crystallize, you can apply a little vinegar or even lemon juice.
-There are those who instead of using sugar to prepare the syrup, opt for honey.

The uses of syrup are multiple in the field of gastronomy. It can be used to make candies, to cover cakes, as a base for desserts and to preserve fruit, to name a few possibilities.

Many fruits, in fact, are usually marketed in syrup. To get this product, the fruit is cut into slices or cubes and cooked with the syrup. The process turns the water in the fruit into the sugars in the syrup. Finally, once the preparation is cooled, it is placed in sterilized jars so that they can be stored for an extended period of time. The peaches in syrup, the squash in syrup (pumpkin in syrup), the Figs in syrup and the chestnuts in syrup are some of the most popular preparations of this type.

In the same way, we cannot ignore the existence of a flamenco club in the city of Córdoba (Andalusia - Spain) that is called El Almíbar.

What's more, even in Aranjuez there is a Restaurant - Gastrobar that also responds to the name of Almíbar. It was launched at the beginning of the 80s and since then it has managed to consolidate itself and become a place of reference. All this thanks to its extensive wine list, attractive facilities and, above all, a list of top-quality recipes. These include the gratin cod brandade, the broken eggs with ham and crispy potatoes or the broad beans sautéed with artichokes and ham, among others.