“A spoonful of honey makes the medicine go down”–this is the advice of the wonderful Nanny, Mary Poppins. Fictional tho she may be, her advice is good. Italians have been following it for years. Especially in the making of candied orange peels, something I have become addicted to. Recently, I discovered that these candied peels are also very healthy!
One of Oprah’s websites,(http://www.oprah.com/health/Nutritional-Benefits-of-Eating-Peels-Stems-and-Rinds) lists the many heal benefits of the orange peel or rind:
“The peel contains more than four times as much fiber as the fruit inside, and more tangeretin and nobiletin—flavonoids with anticancer, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties. A 2004 study on animals suggests that these nutrients may even reduce harmful LDL cholesterol better than some prescription drugs.”
But long before Oprah was around, the old Sicilians were taking the rind of the blood orange and preserving it in honey, another food packed with nutritional power. Honey has even been used as a poultice on wounds!
In modern times, rinds are also preserved with sugar.
The taste is a remarkable exercise in philosophy and taste. Life is both bitter and sweet. If you are clever, you can get the benefits from the bitter (food or experience) by overwhelming it with sweetness. Love, indeed, conquers all.
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