Candied peels have long been used as a common flavourful addition to cakes. Its history dates back to Arab culture. Arab chefs widely used them as sweet treats in banquets. Eventually, they reached the West where they were generously used in cakes like the Italian Panettone and have since found a permanent home in the European pantry. The method of preserving food using sugar or honey was an ancient technique followed by people in China and Mesopotamia for various cakes and other dishes to use the intense flavour of the citrus fruit but the world has embraced this food and used it not only in sweet but savoury dishes too. The peel of the orange has more vitamins than the fruit itself, that might be one of the reasons the candied peel came into existence. The fruit peel has Vitamin C in abundance and also has a good amount of Vitamin A, B complex and minerals like manganese, calcium and zinc.
(The writer is the author of the cookbook Manna: Your Guide to Indian & Continental Cooking which is a result of her culinary journey during which she documented some of the most sought-after heritage recipes of India and elsewhere.)
Bittersweet memories
Using vegetables or fruits from peel to seed was the philosophy of our Indian kitchens long before it became a fad. Be it the not-so-tender methi stems devoured as a crispy treat my Maharashtrian colleagues shared, or the super crispy potato peel pakoras enjoyed over a gossip session with my Bengali friends, we at home always had two jam bottles containing candied orange peels alongside brined lemon peels to snack on. Recently, when I bought oranges which turned out to be more peel than fruit, I turned them into candied peels and baked a pound cake which got devoured instantly.
(Recipe courtesy Mamta N.)
Citrus cake
Ingredients
Maida: 240 grams
Butter: 240 grams
Sugar: 240 grams
Eggs: 4
Baking powder: 1/2 tsp
Vanilla essence: 1/2 tsp
Candied orange peel: 100 grams
Milk: As required
Method
Sieve the flour and baking powder twice.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Add the peel and mix.
Beat the eggs separately and add to the creamed mixture gradually.
Fold in the sifted flour.
Pour the batter into a lined cake tin.
Bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 30 minutes.
One ingredient, one recipe
This column celebrates food and explores the possibility of forming an invisible chain that will bind us together as a family. Readers can send us a unique recipe that has either a childhood memory attached to it or even a food philosophy. We will hand-pick one unique recipe and publish it along with this column the following month. Please share your recipe and story in 300 words with “Food Family: Love” mentioned in the subject line to dhonsunday@deccanherald.co.in by January 2.