Description: Almost absent in Greek-Roman literature, the raspberry appears for the first time in "De Materia Medica" by Pedanios Dioskurides, who clarified the etymology of the name Idaeus Rubus. Fifteen centuries later Mattioli interpreted the verses of Dioscorides as follows: "The blackberry Idaeo, named after the mountain Ida, where it flourishes abundantly, grows also in other mountains. In Bohemia it can be found not only in the mountains, which are covered with blackberries, but also planted in vegetable gardens for undefined reasons ...".
In fact, the raspberry was cultivated not only for the "indeterminateness" but above all for the pronounced quality of its fruit. It is a plant containing considerable amounts of organic acids such as citric acid, oxalic acid and tartaric acid, as well as simple sugars such as fructose and dextrose, and discrete amounts of mucilages and pectins. This means that the raspberry is best suited for the production of exquisite jams and jellies, which are recommended especially for diabetics, overweight and cardiac patients who have problems with sugar products. The raspberry is also often used in the liqueur industry, which produces spirits, liqueurs and drinks of all kinds from the fruit.
Ingredients: - 3 cups of raspberries - 200 g dissolved sugar and some cinnamon - some cloves - honey as required
Preparation: The preparation of a Grappa of raspberry is relatively simple: place 3 cups of raspberry fruits for 3 months in a liter of Grappa. Add 200 g dissolved sugar and some cinnamon and cloves. Then let the preperation rest for further 15 days.
Another method of preparing a good liqueur is as follows: Place the fruits on the bottom of the vessel, cover them with 5 tablespoons of liquid honey, and then keep it in the sun until the fruits are completely "muddy". At this moment add the Grappa with the above-mentioned flavors. The whole mixture has to stand in the sun for three months without shaking the vessel, and then to be filtered. The pink Grappa will have a natural fragrance and flavor of raspberry.
