Apple cider
Cider is a low-alcohol drink obtained by fermentation of natural Apple juice. It is the most consumed of all fruit wines. Cider has from 5 to 7% by volume of alcohol, so it is can be considered as intermediate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
Cider also has healing properties along with its nutritional value that are due to its constituent acids: malic and citric. They can free your body from excess salts that are the cause of arteriosclerosis and urolithiasis, and carbon dioxide works up your appetite and promotes digestion.
Both special cider apples and cultivated ones are used for the production of cider. The best types of apples for cider are autumn and early winter maturation periods that have high content of sugars, aromatic and extractive substances with sufficient amount of tannins and acids. Summer types of apples contain little tannins, so they are less advisable for cider production.
Cider is of an extremely diverse composition because of wide variety of Apple varieties taken for its preparation. According to the sugar content, ciders are prepared in three ways. These are dry, semi-dry and sweet. In terms of saturation with carbon dioxide ciders can be carbonated and non-carbonated. Saturation of cider with carbon dioxide is done in special devices called saturators or as a result of secondary fermentation.
Traditionally, semi-sweet cider is the type made at home using cultivated apples. Fermented dry cider is saturated with carbon dioxide by adding sugar and due to secondary fermentation in glass bottles that withstand pressure. In order to prepare cider of desired sugar content, natural and synthetic sweeteners are added to it.
Cooking method and ingredients
