What is Rhubarb? And What Can You Do With it In The Kitchen?

It looks like a cross between celery and thistle, and it strikes at first sight with its intense flame red color with pinkish hues: it is rhubarb, a medicinal plant also used as a food and much appreciated for its digestive and purgative properties. With its bitterish flavor it might seem difficult to use in the kitchen, when instead it can be a great ally to give an unusual touch and a sweet note even to savory dishes. Although from China it has found ample space in Europe, in the U.S. this plant is still not very widespread.

You may have seen rhubarb mostly in the form of sauce or digestive liqueur, or even herbal tea, but it is actually a product that deserves to be explored further, because it is extremely versatile and also very useful for health.

What is Rhubarb?

Rhubarb is a rustic herbaceous plant belonging to the Polygonaceae family and is native to Tibet and Western China. In nature there are over 50 different varieties, but the most common are three: Rheum palmatum or Chinese rhubarb, Rheum undulatum and Rheum officinale, used as a natural remedy against digestive and intestinal problems.

The most common variety has very bright red-pink ribs and large, wrinkled, wavy green leaves. The parts best suited for consumption are the ribs, the rhizome, and the roots, while it would be better to avoid the leaves or use them sparingly: although they are edible, they contain a substance that could weigh down the kidneys.

Rhubarb is technically a vegetable, but it's often treated as a fruit in culinary contexts due to its tart flavor. The edible part of the plant is the stalk, which is used in desserts like pies and jams. Although it's botanically classified as a vegetable (since it's a stem), its sweetened, fruity applications lead many to think of it as a fruit.

Characteristics and Properties of Rhubarb

For hundreds of years, the populations of the Far East, particularly of the Tibetan plateau, have used rhubarb not only as a food, but as a real natural medicine remedy. In fact, all varieties of this plant are famous for their digestive and purifying properties, but also purgative and hepatoprotective.

In fact, rhubarb, specifically its rhizome, contains a series of active ingredients that are excellent for combating digestive disorders, which is why the plant is often used for decoctions, herbal teas and digestive liqueurs. This is because it is rich in water, fiber, vitamins and mineral salts, as well as containing a good percentage of carbohydrates and proteins.

Thanks to its nutritional principles, it is used for digestion, but also to purify and stimulate the liver, as well as a decongestant and antiseptic. Precisely from these characteristics comes the main contraindication of rhubarb: it has strong laxative and purgative properties, so consuming it in excessive quantities could create problems in this sense. For the same reasons, it is not recommended for pregnant women or very young children.

What Can You Use Rhubarb for In the Kitchen?

Rhubarb can be very useful in the kitchen: you can use it in both sweet and savory dishes  Just remember to dose it well because it has a bitter aftertaste and can be very sweet, especially if it is a very fresh specimen with an intense red color.

The best-known use of rhubarb is to make jams, chutneys and preserves to pair with cheeses (it is excellent with both fresh and mature cheeses) or in desserts such as tarts, but you can also use it in pieces to create recipes such as rhubarb strudel (it goes very well with the flavour of the apple), or rhubarb cake.

Thanks to its great versatility, rhubarb also goes very well with savory recipes: try it paired with an oily fish like salmon, on which it will have a degreasing action just like lemon, or pair it with meat dishes to lighten the flavor, especially sausages and pork ribs.

With the roots, however, you can prepare a whole series of drinks that not only have a pleasant combination of bitter and aromatic flavor, but are also excellent tonics and digestives. So there is plenty of room for rhubarb-based herbal teas, but also cocktails, liqueurs and bitters.