Gulia - Earth Apple

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Guliata / Helianthus tuberosus / is a perennial herbaceous plant that belongs to the Asteracee family. In appearance, the gulia strongly resembles a sunflower - the stems reach a height of 3 meters, have a strong branch. The leaves are ovoid, pointed and coarse with a width of up to 10 cm and a length of up to 20 cm. Sometimes the leaves break under their own weight. The flowers of the gulia are colored bright yellow, reach a diameter of 8 cm and bloom from August to November.

Guliata occurs under different names - German potato, ground artichoke, Jerusalem artichoke, Indian tubers, pear, Jerusalem artichoke, ground sunflower, small sunflower, sugar potato, but the most famous is the ground apple. The gulia is mistakenly named Jerusalem artichoke after a tribe from Brazil that visited Paris three years after the plant was brought to Europe - around 1610.

The homeland of the gulia is North and Central America / especially Mexico /. It is considered a cultivated plant of the Indians, even before the time of Columbus. Today, the apple is widespread on almost every continent in the world. It is grown mainly in Russia, Asia, Australia and North America. In Europe, goulash was replaced by potatoes in the 18th century. However, it has two very important advantages in terms of its cultivation - it does not suffer from late blight and is not affected by the Colorado potato beetle, which as we know is the scourge of potatoes. Nowadays, goulash has a certain economic significance only in the Netherlands and some parts of southern France.

The tubers of the gulia grow until November, after which it is good to pick them as late as possible to ensure that the nutrients from the aboveground part pass into the tuber.

Composition of the goulash

Guliata is extremely useful for health, a fact that is due to its rich content of many substances, as well as the high content of inulin. Inulin is a valuable natural polysaccharide that consists of 95% fructose. In addition to inulin, the earth apple contains a large number of biologically active compounds - iron, zinc, fiber, silicon, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, pectin, amino acids, organic acids, vitamins C and B. Guliya is low in calories and is very well absorbed by organism.

100 g of raw goulash contain 73 calories, 17.4 g of carbohydrates, 1.6 g of dietary fiber, 0.1 mg of vitamin B6, 4 mg of vitamin C, 14 mg of calcium, 17 mg of magnesium, 13 mcg of folic acid, 0.1 mg of manganese, 429 mg of potassium, 78 mg phosphorus, 1.3 mg niacin, 0.2 mg thiamine.

Storage of goulash

Collected tubers gulia quickly dry left outdoors. They should be stored in a basement at a temperature of about 0 degrees and humidity up to 95%. It is best to cover the tubers with soil or moist sand, or piled up and covered with snow or soil. The most effective way to store is to take them out of the ground not in the fall, but in the spring. The goulash tubers taken out in the spring taste better. In addition, the yield of tubers is always higher in the spring, because they grow until the ground freezes.

Gulia in cooking

Guliya can be eaten raw, baked or boiled. The tubers are slightly reminiscent of potatoes, although with a number of small growths they look more like ginger roots. It tastes like pears or artichokes.

The tubers are very nutritious and do not need to be peeled before consumption. However, good washing with clean water is a must. As the gulia has a very uneven structure that allows the retention of soil and sand, be very careful and wash it thoroughly.

Guliya can be added to salads, like potatoes to fry in pancakes. Boiled and mashed tubers have a taste almost identical to that of potatoes. This determines the possibility of replacing potatoes with goulash in a number of recipes.

In France, tubers are a regular ingredient in salads. They also make wonderful soups, creams and purees. Baked goulash with pork or chicken is an irresistible dish. Melted cheese, milk or cream can be added to goulash dishes. Do not overcook the goulash, because it loses some of its qualities.

Hot tea with a slice gulia has almost the same taste as those of lemon tea. That is why the tubers are often called the "lemon of the north".

Benefits of goulash

As it became clear gulia is harvested in winter or spring - seasons in which the body suffers from more vitamins and nutrients. That is why goulash becomes an important immunomodulator, which has a number of useful substances. Unlike potatoes, goulash does not contain starch, but natural sugar.

Ground apple is very suitable for people suffering from diabetes. Consumption of goulash is beneficial for patients with cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal problems, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and various allergies, in some immunodeficiency conditions, hair problems and brittle nails.

Regular use of gulia and in particular the inulin it contains helps to reduce blood sugar levels and at the same time increases the effectiveness of insulin. In addition, there is a decrease in blood cholesterol levels, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Inulin promotes the absorption of magnesium and calcium, which makes the plant an important preventive measure against osteoporosis. Guliya helps to remove excess body weight, restores the normal intestinal flora and suppresses the action of harmful intestinal microorganisms.

The tubers of gulia serve as a means of purifying the blood and are extremely useful for the liver and kidneys. The plant helps to remove various contaminants from the body.