No festive table is complete without a jug that is brimming with delectable crimson cranberry sauce. Although the fruit itself can be rather tart, this tasty sauce is piquant, sweet and irresistible.
A short history of this sauce
Although this sauce has been prepared in homes across the globe for hundreds of years, it first became available commercially in 1912 in Hanson, Massachusetts. Canned cranberry sauce as we know it today came to grocery stores in the USA in 1941. This allowed consumers to indulge in this tasty sauce all through the year. Now, it is most commonly found as a side dish at Thanksgiving or on the Christmas table.
Cranberries are one of only a few varieties of fruit that are native to Northern America, which is why cranberry sauce is as American as it gets. It is a common misconception that these fruits grow in water. Like most other berries, these fruits grow on bushes. When they are ready to be harvested, farmers flood the fields with water. These fruit float when in water so the flooding of the fields makes it much easier to harvest ripe fruit.
How this sauce is made
Most of the time, cranberry sauce is made in the same manner. Once the fruit is harvested, it is sent to canning factories or grocery stores. In large factories, the sauce is made using the same method that a home chef would use to prepare the sauce. First, you should fill a large pot with water and sugar before adding the berries. This mixture is then boiled until the berries pop and the sauce begins to thicken. Depending on your taste, you could add maple syrup to the mixture or a variety of spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
There are a number of different ways to serve this tasty sauce. If you are buying the canned version, all you need to do is open the can and slip the jellied sauce onto a plate. This can then be sliced and served with turkey or ham. If you are preparing the sauce in your own home, you are likely to have a sauce that looks more like a jam than a jelly. This is great when spread on fresh crusty bread or as a dip for meat kebabs.
Try this sauce in your own home
Most varieties of store-bought cranberry sauce are rather tart. If you have more of a sweet tooth, you may want to make the sauce at home so that you can add more sugar to your recipe.
If you would like to try this tasty sauce the next time you prepare a roast turkey or duck, visit your local grocery store to stock up on the jelly-like sauce.
