Strawberry & Rosewater Sorbet

23 Strawberry Fun Facts

Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.

The average strawberry has 200 seeds.

The ancient Romans believed that strawberries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, bad breath, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen.

To symbolize perfection and righteousness, medieval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals.

In parts of Bavaria, country folk still practice the annual rite each spring of tying small baskets of wild strawberries to the horns of their cattle as an offering to elves. They believe that the elves, are passionately fond of strawberries, will help to produce healthy calves and an abundance of milk in return.

Madame Tallien, a prominent figure at the court of the Emperor Napoleon, was famous for bathing in the juice of fresh strawberries. She used 22 pounds per basin. Needless to say, she did not bathe daily.

Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the

Strawberries are a member of the rose family.

Strawberries, as part of a 5 a day fruit & vegetable program, can help reduce the risk of cancer & heart attacks.

In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions to bring peace & prosperity.

Folk lore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you’ll soon fall in love.

In France, Strawberries were thought to be an aphrodisiac. A soup made of strawberries, thinned sour cream, borage, & powered sugar was served to newlyweds.

Eating strawberries, which are rich in nitrate, can increase the flow of blood & oxygen to the muscles by 7%. This prevents muscle fatigue, making exercise easier.

In a test, subjects who ate nitrate rich foods like strawberries, before exercising burned 100 more calories than those who did not.

Roughly 27,000 kilos of strawberries are eaten during the Wimbledon Championships, together with 7,000 litres of cream.

A 100g serving of strawberries will serve you for just 50 calories – that’s a whooping 0g of fat

strawberries can help whiten your teeth? The acids in the fruit help to remove stains.

Strawberries are full of a special substance called ellagic acid which can help fight cancers.

They are also full of flavonoids, which form part of the strawberry’s red colour. They are known to help reduce cholesterol from clogging up the heart’s arteries.

Eight strawberries have more vitamin C than an orange, that’s 140% of our daily recommended amount.

The word strawberry comes from the Old English words “streowberie” or “streawbelige”. There are a few theories about how they got their name. The “straw” bit could come from the straw that was used to keep the strawberries fresh, or it could come from “strewed”, which means to spread wide.

Strawberries can also be white or yellow and some can even taste like pineapples.
The strawberry plant, the raspberry plant, are members of the rose family.
The Romans loved their wild strawberries – and not only for their taste. They believed strawberries could cure a number of illnesses.

If you’re watching your waistline, why not sprinkle a little black pepper over your strawberries instead of the usual calorific cream? It doesn’t sound that appetising, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised…

Ingredients
For 750/900 ml

300g caster sugar
900g ripe strawberries, hulled

juice 1 lemon
2 tbsp rosewater
handful pink rose petals, to serve (optional)

Method.

1. In a medium pan, combine the sugar with 300ml water. Let the sugar dissolve, then bring to the boil for 1 min.

2. Put the strawberries in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Trickle in the sugar syrup, blend again, then add the lemon juice and rose water.

3. Pour the strawberry mixture into a large freezer-proof container (an old ice cream tub is perfect), then freeze until almost solid, mashing in the ice crystals every 1-2 hrs until the sorbet is thick and smooth.
4. Wrap well and freeze until solid.