What is Rhubarb?

Question

I seen it on a cooking show for a desssert. Is it sweet? Do you have to use it in a dessert?

Answer 1

I have some growing in my backyard, and love to cook with it. It has large elephant-ear-like leaves at the top of a green and red stalk that looks like celery. The leaves have a lot of oxalic acid in them and are poisonous. The stalk also has a small amount of oxalic acid, so if you're prone to oxalate kidney stones, don't eat too much. Rhubarb is also a natural laxative, so again, don't eat too much.

Rhubarb is VERY tart, so it is usually used in baked goods or sauces that have a lot of sugar added. You can find recipes for rhubarb quick breads, pies, cakes, sauces and preserves (often mixed with strawberries). When I was a kid, I used to eat it raw, dipping the end in sugar before taking a bite. Think nature's version of Sour Patch Kids.

There's a lot of water in the stalks, so when you cook it it softens and becomes mushy. Because it is so tart, you want to cut it into very small pieces before cooking, so as much surface area is exposed to sugar as possible. Both of my grandmothers made really yummy rhubarb pie, and my mom makes a killer rhubarb crisp. Her recipe is:

Rhubarb Crisp

1 cup flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2" pieces (4-5 16" stalks)
1/2 cup sugar

Mix the first five ingredients until crumbly. Spread half the mixture into the bottom of a 9x9 square pan, and press to form a crust.

Toss rhubarb pieces with sugar and spread over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top and press lightly. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

This is wonderful served when it's still warm with vanilla ice cream.

Answer 2

A plant with long reddish colored stems and very broad green leaves. It grows to 18 to 24 inches. The raw stalks are very sour tasting and the leaves are poisonous! When cooked the peeled and diced stalkes lose their sour bite and become quite sweet! It is usually used in a pie but there are several ways to prepare and serve!

http://www.plantea.com/rhubarb.htm

Answer 3

I used to eat it in England, always as a dessert. It's definitely NOT sweet. It's really tart, sour, and we used to eat it in a pie with loads of sugar! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb

Answer 4

You could use it in apple and rhubarb crumble (basically apple slice/crumble except it contains rhubarb...use ONLY the stalk dont eat the leaves contain "oxalia acid" which is poison...!
Smile and Take Care
P.S i believe you cant eat it raw because it is also posion.
P.P.S i dont think it taste sweet

Answer 5

A root used in cooking, like rhubarb pie, you must sweeten it a lot. Check out the www.foodnetwork.com

Answer 6

it's a plant that has red stalks these stalks are boiled with a little sugar if needed then baked in a pie or served hot or cold with cream or ice cream......the leaves are not to be eaten as they are poisonous...the taste of rhubarb is tart but with a little sugar the flave is awsome.

Answer 7

plan rhubarb is very bitter, strawberry rhubarb is a little bit sweeter the plan , but both make great pies and tarts.

Answer 8

It is a very bitter plant that resembles celery except it is dark red/green. Mostly it is used for pies, sweetened, of course. Sometimes combined with strawberries in pie.
It is actually delicious in that form.

Answer 9

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb has rhubarb info, including info about other ways to cook it.

Answer 10

Tart but can be sweet with lots of sugar!