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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 MAY 2011 33 RECIPE OF THE WEEK Mulberries (Tut) The ripe berries of the mulberry plant, locally known as tut, are so fragile and perishable, due to their high water content and thin skin, that they do not travel well, making them largely unavail- able in many countries. Three varieties of mulberry exist, white, red and black, with the fruit of the red and black va- rieties being strongest in flavour. The black mulberry is native to southwest Asia and the red mulberry to eastern North America, and was introduced to the Maltese islands by the Phoenicians. It produces a red berry, which turns black when ripe, with reddish tones when eaten, and has a tart-sweet taste. The trees are fast growing, and can grow up to nine metres and produce a massive amount of berries. Try juicing the berries and serving with cham- pagne, or making ice cream or sorbet. The ber- ries can also be soaked in red wine and vodka and placed in the fridge for two weeks, then served topped with soda water. Mulberry jam is also popular as is mulberry jelly, smoothies and cobblers. They are also a great accompaniment to pancakes. Mulberries are actually a good source of raw food protein, a rarity in the fruit kingdom. They are also a good source of magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, iron, calcium, vitamin C, and fibre. One of the mulberry's greatest health assets is its high concentration of resveratrol, an antioxidant currently being studied for its effects on heart health. Greek folklore tells the tale of how mul- berries got their red colour. Pyramus and Thisbe were neighbors who fell in love when they be- came adults. Their parents disapproved, but the lovers communicated secretly, through a crack in the wall separating their houses. One night they eloped, but Thisbe was frightened away from their rendezvous point, a white mulberry maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 JULY 2014 FINE FOOD OF THE WEEK Here we go round the mulberry bush Serves 2 Ingredients 3 cups mulberries • 1 ½ large pears, halved, cored, thinly sliced • 130g plus 150g sugar • 3 tbsp dry red wine • 2 tsp finely grated tangerine peel or orange • peel ½ tsp ground cinnamon plus additional for • sprinkling 125g flour • 2 tsp baking powder • ¼ tsp salt • 250ml milk • 110g butter, melted • Powdered sugar • Vanilla ice cream (optional) • Method Preheat oven to 170°C. Butter the dish and 1. gently toss berries, pears, 130g sugar, wine, peel, and cinnamon in medium bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and 2. remaining 150g sugar in another medium bowl. Add milk and melted butter; whisk until 3. blended. Put the fruit at the bottom of the baking dish. 4. Top with clumps of dough without covering 5. the fruit completely. Bake cobbler until crust is set in centre and 6. brown at edges, about one hour. Cool 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar; 7. serve warm with ice cream, if desired. Pear and mulberry cobbler FOOD tree, by a bloody-mouthed lion that had just finished a meal. She escaped and hid, but lost her cloak, which the lion mauled and bloodied. Pyramus, seeing the bloody mouthed lion and the cloak, imagined the worst, and im- paled himself on his sword. His blood col- oured the mulberries red. When Thisbe found him and realised what had happened, she followed him to death on the same sword. The European mulberry species has been red ever since.