Sunday, April 29, 2007

RHUBARB FACTOIDS

I was pleased to find online vast enthusiasm for rhubarb. I found ideas for rhubarb pudding cake, rhubarb ketchup, rhubarb conserve, rhubarb strawberry crumble (I adore anything with oatmeal in it), rhubarb nut bread, rhubarb pancakes, frozen rhubarb daiquiris, and spicy rhubarb shortribs. And that aint' even the tip of the iceberg. Rhubarb has been popular for thousands of years, and other than in modern day America, shows no sign of losing it's status as the most loved pie fruit in the world (tho it is not a fruit). . .

Thanks to the Romans, the word "rhubarb" takes its name from the latin rha barbarum. rhubarb grew along the banks of the river rha, the ancient name of the volga. Back then, the region was considered foreign, or barbarian territory. Thus, rhubarb literally means "from the barbarian, Rha."

The use of the word "rhubarb" dates back to the early days of Shakespearean theater, a use that carried forward to present day. Dictionaries first define rhubarb as the lovable, edible plant that it is. Then the slang definition follows. To prepare yourself, get into the feeling behind it. say RHU-barb with attitude!!! Now you can see how the word became synonymous with a heated argument or squabble. One dictionary even went so far as to link rhubarb to baseball, where a rhubarb meant sparks were flying between the umpire and the pitcher.

Besides it's tasty possibilities, the oxalic acid in rhubarb is effective in controlling aphids, and in breaking down & neutralizing the CFC's that threaten the ozone layer of our atmosphere. The moral of the story: Even though the pie plant's flavor might be "barbarum" to some, never underestimate rhubarb!

Smooch
Auntie Hattie

No comments: