Foods and dishes made with dried topinambur. They bring variety to our table and supplement our bodies with valuable biologically active substances.
All parts of the topinambur plant are wholesome: the tubers (including the epidermis), stems, leaves, and florets.
The regular inclusion of topinambur products in the diet exerts a beneficial effect on the human body as prophylaxis against a large number of diseases and medical conditions, gastrointestinal diseases, cancer, and diabetes in particular. It is also a surprisingly efficient remedy against constipation.
Topinambur is extremely difficult to store. It is fit for use within the first two weeks after it has been dug and only at a limited time the year (from November to April). Therefore, specific storage technologies are required for preserving its useful properties, so that it can be used all the year round. When dried, topinambur becomes a convenient ingredient for a wide variety of food products. Both forms of dried topinambur – flour and chips – are used with equal success. They are manufactured with utmost care to keep the level of the most important component, inulin. It should be noted that the variety cultivated on our farm has inulin content that is as much as 70% of the dry matter. When inulin is hydrolyzed, fructose, a safe sugar for diabetic patients, is formed. Topinambur has an amazingly rich and diverse CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:
- High content of vitamin B and vitamin C
- Iron (up to 12 mg %)
- Silicon (up to 8 mg %)
- Zinc (up to 500 mg %)
- Magnesium (up to 30 mg %)
- Potassium (up to 200 mg %)
- Manganese (up to 45 mg %)
- Phosphorus (up to 500 mg %)
- Calcium (up to 40 mg %)
- Organic polyoxoacids (6 – 8 % of dry weight)
- Pectin – 11 % of dry weight
- Inulin – 71,20 % of dry weight, 95 % fructose content
- Protein – 4,32 g
- Fats – 0,87 g
- Energy (kcal 100 g) – 305,6
Uses of dried topinambur – chips
Recipes for topinambur chips
Small pieces of dried topinambur can be added to any cooked dish. Desirably, it can be used as a regular cooking ingredient as it can open numerous possibilities to culinary creativity. Apart from the recipes given below, there are many others soon to be published in a separate book.
Uses of dried topinambur – flour
Recipes for topinambur flour
Topinambur flour has a wide range of applications both commercially and at home.
The flour is ready for use. Just as you would use your favourite condiments to flavour your cooking, you can sprinkle topinambur flour on every dish.However, this “relish” will have the special task to look after your liver detoxification, prophylaxis of the kidneys, balance your cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and many more useful functions. A mixture of dill, oregano, garlic flour and topinambur flour is highly recommended. Steeped in olive oil, these condiments make a wholesome and delicious sauce. Health bread and dough products aficionados will be intrigued by some of the most popular recipes with topinambur flour.
It is recommended that topinambur flour additions do not exceed 6%so that the desirable organoleptic properties of the food are preserved.
In fact, when making bread, pizza dough, muffins, cheese rolls or other kinds of dough products, you substitute an optimal of 3%, a maximum of 6%, of the total flour mass without modifying the original recipe.
