Fruit muesli

Buckwheat

Buckwheat is also known as pseudo grain. It belongs to the family of knotweed and is therefore no grain. There are around 16 different types of buckwheat. It have been cultivated in Central- and East Asia for more than 4,000 years. In particular, buckwheat is produced in Russia, China, Ukraine, France and Poland. Unlike ordinary grain, buckwheat is gluten-free. Gluten is a protein, which can be found in types of grain such as rye, wheat and barley. Gluten is indigestible and can lead to temporary memory gaps. If you are intolerant to gluten, it could lead to small intestine diseases as well as join pains. On the other hand, whereas buckwheat is a remedy for diabetes. Moreover, it helps to reduce high blood pressure as well as the cholesterol level. Furthermore, it contains all kinds of essential amino acids. Buckwheat contains easily digested proteins, as well as vital and mineral substances. Buckwheat is basic. In order to flocculate buckwheat for dishes like muesli, you just have to put it into a flour mill for a few seconds.

Raisins

Grapes have already been dried in ancient times. Today, countries like the USA (California), Turkey, Iran, South Africa and Australia are the leading nations in production of raisins. There are originally from Armenia, where grapes were buried in order to produce raisins. When raisins came from Middle East across Greece to Italy, they were immediately established as basic food. Later, they were given to successful athletes. “Raisins” is used as general meaning for dried grapes. Depending on grape variety and origin you differentiate between sultanas, currants, grapes and grape-raisins.

Sultanas are seedless, with a thin peel, gold-yellow to red-brown and very aromatic. As a rule, the ripe grapes are dipped in a potassium carbonate mixture in order to roughen the peel. In this way, the grapes become dry faster, a longer shelf life is ensured and moreover they keep their colour. Today, the majority of raisins is sold unbleached and without any preservatives. 95 percent of the imported raisins are sultanas. These are mainly supplied from Turkey, the USA, Iran, South Africa, Afghanistan and Argentina.

Currants are seedless, with a thin peel, with a dark-brown to black colour and a sweet-and-sour aromatic taste. During the process, they are not sulphurized. They are named after the Greek town Korinth. Greece is also leading producer of currants. Other suppliers are India, South Africa, Australia, and the USA.

Grapes are also seedless. As they get dryed in the sun they get their blue colour. During the process, they are not sulphurized. Main suppliers for grapes are the USA, Turkey, South Africa and Chile.

Grape-raisins have seeds and a fleshy consistency. Spain produces Malaga grape-raisins, which are made of muscadine grapes. They are known as speciality. However, Californian grape-raisins are sold without the seed.

Raisins have a fructose content of 64 percent. Thus, they are a good alternative to ordinary sugar. Moreover, raisins contain mineral and fibres as well as B vitamins. They are a good remedy for constipation and anaemia and supply the body with power.

Raisins are a popular sweet snack. They are often used for baked goods like raisin buns. However, they are used for salads as well. In Arabic countries they are added to couscous. Moreover, you can refine the most desserts with raisins. They are also consistent with cereals or porridge.

Sunflower seeds

Sunflowers are originally from North and Central America. Since their seeds are edible, they have been grown for thousands of years. In the 16th century the Spanish brought them to Europe. Today, sunflower seeds are mainly produced in China, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, the USA, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania. They contain plenty of vitamin B, unsaturated folic acids, proteins and magnesium. Thus, bones and teeth are strengthened and the hemogram improved. Furthermore, cardiovascular diseases can be prevented. If you eat enough sunflower seeds, less carbs get to the metabolism. This helps to lose weight. Sunflower seeds contain a lot of protein: 100 g of sunflower seeds contain approximately as much protein as a steak. In particular, sunflower seeds are used to produce sunflower oil. Sunflower oil contains of linoleic acid, which has a positive effect on the cholesterol level of the blood.