Raw rhubarb is 94% water, 5% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contains negligible fat (table). In a 100-gram amount, raw rhubarb supplies 88 kilojoules (21 kilocalories) of food energy, and is a rich source of vitamin K. The human body requires vitamin K for post-synthesis modification of certain proteins that are required for blood coagulation ("K" from Danish koagulation, for "coagulation") and for controlling binding of calcium in bones and other tissues. The plant becomes dormant in Winter in Australia.
Rhubarb is the fleshy, edible stalks (petioles) of species and hybrids (culinary rhubarb) of Rheum in the family Polygonaceae, which are cooked and used for food. The plant is a herbaceous perennial that grows from short, thick rhizomes. Historically, different plants have been called "rhubarb" in English.
The precise origin of culinary rhubarb is unknown. The species Rheum rhabarbarum (syn. R. undulatum) and R. rhaponticum were grown in Europe before the 18th century and used in folk medicine. By the early 18th century, these two species and a possible hybrid of unknown origin, R. × hybridum, were grown as vegetable crops in England and Scandinavia. They readily hybridise, and culinary rhubarb was developed by selecting open-pollinated seed, so its precise origin is hard to determine.
The word rhubarb is likely to have derived in the 14th century from the Old French rubarbe, which came from the Latin rheubarbarum and Greek rha barbaron, meaning "foreign rhubarb".
The Greek physician Dioscorides used the Greek word ῥᾶ (rha), whereas Galen later used ῥῆον (rhēon), Latin rheum. These in turn derive from a Persian name for species of Rheum. The epithet rhaponticum, applied to one of the presumed parents of the cultivated plant, means "rha from the region of the Black Sea" or the river Volga, rha being its ancient name.
Rhubarb is a versatile ingredient, best used in classic crumbles, tarts, and jams, or paired with apple, strawberry, ginger, or orange. Favourites include rhubarb custard cake, strawberry-rhubarb jam, roasted rhubarb parfaits, and glazed rhubarb lemon loaf.
Here are a few of our favourite sweet and savoury recipes using rhubarb.
Rhubarb almond tart
Ingredients
40g butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp finely grated orange rind
2 eggs
40g (1/4 cup) plain flour
30g (1/4 cup) almond meal
1 sheet (25 x 25cm) frozen ready-rolled butter puff pastry, just thawed
5 stems rhubarb, ends trimmed, cut into 20cm lengths, halved lengthways
2 tbsp flaked almonds
Double cream, to serve
Preheat oven to 220°C. Place a baking tray in the oven.
Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Beat in orange rind and 1 egg. Use a metal spoon to fold in the flour and almond meal until well combined.
Line a chopping board with a sheet of non-stick baking paper. Place the pastry sheet on top. Use a small sharp knife to make a 2cm-thick border around the edge of the pastry (do not cut all the way through). Keeping within the border, spread the almond meal mixture evenly over the pastry base. Arrange the rhubarb, about 5mm apart, on top. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds. Lightly whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl. Brush the edge of the pastry with egg.
Remove the baking tray from oven. Carefully slide the baking paper with the tart onto the hot tray. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve immediately with custard or cream, if desired.
Apple and rhubarb crumble
Ingredients
1 bunch (425g) rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces - You'll need 7 stalks of rhubarb for this recipe.
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp orange rind, finely grated
2 tbsp orange juice
1 cup self-raising flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup almonds broken into pieces
1/4 cup Australian sultanas
80g butter, chilled, chopped
Thickened cream or ice cream to serve
Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan-forced. Grease a 1.5-litre (6-cup-capacity) ovenproof dish. Combine the rhubarb, apple, sultanas, caster sugar, orange rind and juice in prepared dish. Bake, covered, stirring once, for 30 minutes or until fruit is just tender. Remove from oven.
Combine flour and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add butter. Using your fingertips, rub butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add almond pieces. Sprinkle over rhubarb and apple mixture.
Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until crumble is golden brown. Serve with thickened cream or ice cream - bliss!
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An Autumn standard here - apple and rhuburb crumble
Savoury Rhubarb and Cinnamon Red Lentil Curry
by Hugo of Lowly Food, but made several times by us - tweak to suit your own palate
Ingredients
200 g Rhubarb (very finely sliced)
2 Large Onions (finely diced)
4 Cloves Garlic (finely diced)
2 Teaspoons Caster Sugar
2 Teaspoons Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons Garam Masala
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or generic chilli powder)
750 ml Vegetable Stock
300 g Split Red Lentils
150 g Spinach
30 g Fresh Coriander (roughly chopped)
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
Heat the tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Pour in the chopped onions and garlic. Fry for about 2-3 minutes until the onions are nice and soft.
Add the 200g of sliced rhubarb into the frying pan along with the 2 tablespoons of garam masala, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of caster sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Cook for around a minute, stirring well to combine.
Tip in the 300g red lentils and 750ml of vegetable stock. Bring the pan to the boil, then turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for around 13 – 15 minutes until the lentils are cooked and the stock has reduced to a thick sauce.
Remove the pan from the heat and season to taste. Then stir in the 150g spinach and 30g chopped coriander. Stir the spinach and coriander until they have wilted sufficiently.
Serve the curry immediately with fluffy ice or a fresh naan, or both.
Roast Pork with Rhubarb
This recipe will also work well with duck for those who prefer poultry.
Ingredients
2kg Boneless Pork Shoulder
3 onions, quartered (leave skin on)
500g potatoes, quartered
1 garlic bulb, cut in half
½ bunch fresh sage
Rhubarb Sauce: 3 shallots, thinly sliced, 50g brown sugar, ½ Cup of red wine vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 bunch rhubarb, washed and trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
Place the shoulder on a tray in the fridge overnight, uncovered to dry out the skin - this will make it crispier. Don't worry too much if you cannot do this step, just remove and grill the skin at the end of the cooking process if it still not crispy enough.
Using a sharp knife, cut shallow scores into the skin about 1 cm apart. Be careful not to cut through the fat of the pork. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and bring the pork out of the fridge to allow it to come to room temperature.
Place the onions down in the middle of a baking tray and place the potatoes, garlic and sage in a single layer around the onions. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Once the oven is hot, drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over the skin of the pork and season with plenty of salt. Rub the salt into all of the scores and ensure it's covered evenly.
Place the pork on top of the onions and roast for 30 mins or until the skin starts to get crispy. Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees and continue cooking for another another 50 minutes or until tit's cooked too your taste - but don't overcook it, this will dry the meat out.
While the pork is cooking, prepare your rhubarb sauce: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan and once hot, add shallots and cook on medium-low heat for 10 mins, or until tender. Add in the sugar and stir until dissolved. Add vinegar, mustard and rhubarb and stir to combine. Cook for twenty minutes or until the rhubarb is soft. Add water as needed if the sauce is too thick.
Let the pork rest for 15 mins once you remove from the oven and serve alongside the potatoes, onions and rhubarb sauce. YUM!