People who are older have incredible wisdom with ‘knowledge’ which is usually inherited between generations and which was practiced to gain some kind of benefit without knowing ‘why’. In Mediterranean cuisine, a fairly widespread practice is the use of rosemary beyond its aromatic qualities, and now we know that it makes a lot of sense.
The foundation. Something we know very well is that when we subject an oil to high temperatures, it begins to degrade, oxidize and produce compounds that are not of interest to us because they give off a bad taste to food. Thus, using a little rosemary seems to “hold” the oil in an optimal state. Or is it what our grandmothers instilled.
It has been tested. A collaboration between the Catholic University of Valencia and the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen worked to see if this very homemade practice could be of any benefit when frying food in oil. And as a result of this association, a study was published that was published in 2017 that showed that having a sprig of rosemary in oil is actually not crazy.
To reach a clear conclusion, the researchers mixed the oil with a little rosemary powder. And after testing it, it was found that its oxidative stability skyrocketed.
including data. The tests that were carried out showed that the time the oil lasted before it became ‘raceful’ increased by 128.91% in sunflower oil, 55.61% in olive oil and 73.20% in rapeseed oil. Thus, rosemary not only made the oil last longer, but, in the case of rapeseed, it inhibited the formation of conjugated dienes and trienes, the first markers that fat is breaking down.
But the power of this plant goes beyond delaying the ‘aging’ of the oil, but a second study showed that, subjecting the oil to 120 ºC, a 1-2% concentration of rosemary managed to reduce the formation of malondialdehyde, a very harmful compound.
against acrylamide. One of the biggest modern fears when frying starchy foods such as potatoes is the formation of acrylamide, a potentially carcinogenic compound. This is where the practice of our ancestors proves to be superior to many industrial solutions, as a study published in 2014 found that infusing the oil with rosemary was important to stop both oil degradation and the presence of acrylamide.
And in fact, rosemary efficacy surpasses that of tocopherol and the most common synthetic antioxidants in the food industry, such as TBHQ and BHA.
It has to be done well. Our grandmothers knew perfectly well what they were doing, but research results indicate that it should be oiled with rosemary, usually powder or extract, for at least an hour before use.
Moreover, we must take into account its limits, since rosemary is a great antioxidant, but the fact is that bringing the oil to a very high temperature for a long time can neutralize its protective effect.
Picture | Hashtag Melvin
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