What Does cider Mean
A Hebrew term came to Latin as sicĕra and later to our language as cider . It is a alcoholic drink produced from the fermentation of the apple juice .
The cider making process begins with the harvesting of the apples . These fruits are crushed with mills , presses or hammers and then the must is clarified using biochemical or physical techniques. The process continues with fermentation which, thanks to the action of bacteria and yeasts, turns the sugar into alcohol. Finally, after racking , the cider can already be bottled.
It should be noted that natural cider lacks gas . The most popular drink, however, is sparkling cider . The alcoholic graduation of cider, on the other hand, is low: it is usually between 3% and 8% depending on the type of cider.
Cider is produced and sold in countries such as Spain , Germany , Portugal , the United States , Argentina , Chile and Mexico . In certain Spanish regions, there are commercial establishments known as cider houses where you can taste and buy cider.
To speak of cider in Spain is to refer to Asturias, which is the autonomous community in which this drink has become a symbol of its gastronomy but also one of its great cultural and tourist ambassadors around the world. Specifically, this land not only produces more than 45 million liters of cider per year, but it is also the one that makes 80% of the cider throughout the country.
Other singularities that surround the aforementioned drink in this region are the following:
-There are some unique gastronomic festivals that revolve around it and that respond to the name of espichas.
-In contrast to other existing ciders in the world, Asturian is the only one in the entire planet that is poured, that is, it is served by throwing it with the arm raised so that, from the bottle, it falls into the glass breaking the foam at the hit with this. In this way it is considered that it achieves a great oxygenation.
-In addition to the aforementioned spirits, there are many other terms related to that drink in the aforementioned autonomous community. Thus, for example, we speak of "culín" to refer to what would be the drink that is taken from it.
-It should not be overlooked that another prevailing peculiarity in this land is that natural cider is taken in a shared way, that is, it is drunk by friends in the same glass, which has adequate dimensions to be able to pour it correctly.
In other nations , cider is often associated with certain festivities. In Argentina , for example, cider is chosen to toast at birthday parties , Christmas or New Years . The usual thing is to choose between cider or champagne according to the taste of each one, although cider is also usually cheaper than champagne.
In the case of Germany , a drink known as apfelwein is produced, which is usually associated with cider, although it has some different characteristics .
Homemade non-alcoholic cider recipe
It is common for the weight of the market in our lives to make us forget that a large part of the products that we buy in stores can be made perfectly at home, generally investing much less money. This is the case of apple cider, and below we will see a recipe to be able to enjoy it at any time of the year.
The first step is decisive for the rest of the preparation, since it consists of choosing the right apples . It is recommended that they are not too sweet or acidic, since the most appreciated cider offers a balanced flavor . One trick to obtain better results is to mix several types of apple, something that producers of this drink often do. It goes without saying that before finding our favorite option we will have to go through several tests , with which this recipe is mastered after many attempts.
As a quick guide, the most common apple varieties are Red Delicious, Jonathan, Yellow Delicious, Granny Smith and Gala, all names that our trusted greengrocers probably know and know how to distinguish according to their characteristics.
Habiendo escogido las manzanas de acuerdo con nuestro gusto y con el grado de dulzura que busquemos, deberemos tener en cuenta que con 5 kilos podemos preparar aproximadamente 4 litros de sidra. El paso siguiente, y el primero que en efecto forma parte de la receta en sí, es lavar y limpiar las manzanas, asegurándonos de quitar los tallos y todas las partes oxidadas o magulladas; un buen truco es dejarla tal y como la comeríamos. Es importante no pelarlas, para obtener un mejor color, un sabor más intenso y para conservar los nutrientes.
Seguidamente, debemos cortar las manzanas en cuartos y triturarlas en una procesadora de alimentos o en una licuadora, hasta que su consistencia sea la usada para la compota. Llega el momento de colar la pulpa, usando una malla fina o un trozo de tela, según la disponibilidad, exprimiendo con fuerza para extraer todo el zumo que sea posible. Y, listo.
Es muy importante mantener la sidra bien refrigerada, en un recipiente adecuadamente cerrado y por un período que no supere las dos semanas. Si deseamos mantenerla durante más tiempo, entonces es posible congelarla.