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The Italian Fruit Salad Machedonia is full of colorful fruits In Italy, where the Mediterranean sun shines down, a wide variety of fruits are available throughout the year.
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What is Machedonia
In Italy, fruit salad is called "Macedonia." The name is derived from the historical region of Macedonia in the Balkan Peninsula. The assortment of various fruits in the fruit salad is said to be likened to the coexistence of different ethnicities in Macedonia.
Italy is abundant in fruits, so there are many recipes for Macedonia that combine seasonal fruits such as Summer Macedonia and Winter Macedonia. In this recipe, we used readily available ingredients, but feel free to experiment with different fruits according to the season.
Ingredients
- Strawberry
- Melon
- Kiwi
- Orange
- Blueberry
- Lemon juice
- Sugar - Regular granulated sugar will give a clean sweetness and accentuate the characteristics of each fruit. You can also use brown sugar if you prefer.
Instructions
Wash the strawberries, remove the stems, and quarter them lengthwise.
Cut the melon in half and remove the seeds using a spoon. Cut in half again (You will use about ¼ of a melon with the skin and seeds removed). Cut the melon in half again and remove the rind by cutting between the rind and the flesh Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Cut the kiwi first, top and bottom Place lengthwise and peel along the rounded edges (You can also use a peeler). Cut in half lengthwise and slice.
Wash the oranges and cut the top and bottom off (it is okay to cut off just enough to see the pulp). Place it vertically and cut off the peel along the roundness, scraping off the thin skin with each peel. Often the white part is left on the bottom, so turn the top and bottom over and remove the white part. Hold the orange in your hand and remove the pulp from the thin skin by inserting the knife in a V-shape along the pulp. There is some juice left in the remaining thin rind, so squeeze it out and combine it with the orange.
Place the cut fruit and washed and drained blueberries in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and sugar and mix gently so as not to damage the fruit. Even if there are a few grains of sugar left, they will dissolve after a little while, so there is no need to force the mixture until they dissolve.
Serve on a plate and it is ready to eat.
Strawberry Machedonia
If you have trouble preparing a lot of fruits, strawberries alone are also delicious In Italian restaurants, macedonia combining various fruits is always prepared, but this strawberry macedonia is more often served at home.
When I was studying abroad in Italy, I had the opportunity to have a home-cooked meal at a friend's host family. One day, they served this strawberry Macedonia for dessert. It was incredibly delicious, and when I asked about the seasoning, they simply said it was made with sugar and lemon. It was hard to believe that something so simple could taste so amazing.
Until then, I had always thought that adding sugar to fruits was unnecessary because I preferred to enjoy them as they were. However, this experience completely changed my perspective as it turned out to be a completely different culinary delight.
The recipe is just 1 pack of strawberries (300g), ½ lemon juice and 3 tablespoons sugar.
Other Fruits
There are various recipes for Macedonia depending on the season, and you can use any combination of fruits that are readily available to you.
In general, it's convenient to use fruits that are easily accessible during the specific season, as well as year-round fruits like apples, bananas, and kiwis.
Feel free to experiment and create your own unique combinations based on the fruits you have on hand.
- Summer - watermelon, melon, peach, plum, grapefruit, pineapple
- Autumn - grapes, persimmons, pears, pomegranates
- Winter - mandarin oranges, apples, kiwis, bananas, oranges
- Spring - Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries
Liqueur
Adding liqueur to the macedonia adds even more variety to the flavor.
- Rum - Rum is often used in desserts, so many people have it readily available at home. Adding a dark rum or similar variety can give a fruit cocktail-like flavor to your dish. If you want to enhance the fruit flavors while adding a subtle aroma, a small amount of white rum works well. It pairs nicely with autumn to winter fruits and goes particularly well with bananas and cherries.
- Limoncello - Limoncello is made by soaking lemon zest in alcohol and adding sugar. It's a perfect liqueur to use in Macedonia because of its lemony flavor. Since Limoncello itself is sweet, if you decide to add it, you should reduce the amount of sugar used in the recipe.
- Cointreau - Cointreau is an orange liqueur. Similar to the earlier example of the strawberry-only Macedonia, if you add sugar and Cointreau to an orange-only Macedonia, it will elevate the taste and give it a luxurious flavor.
Storage
The fruit salad with sugar and lemon can be stored for a few days. If you refrigerate it, it should last for about 2 days.
However, over time, the sugar will start to penetrate the fruit, making it lose its texture. In particular, bananas tend to become quite soft.
Therefore, it's best to consume the fruit salad on the same day it is made, if possible. This way, you can enjoy it at its freshest and most delicious state.
Equipment
I'm not good at using knives, so I use this for small tasks. It's a lifesaver!
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Italian Fruit Salad Recipe - Macedonia
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: GlutenFreeDiet
Description
The Italian Fruit Salad Machedonia is full of colorful fruits In Italy, where the Mediterranean sun shines down, a wide variety of fruits are available throughout the year.
Ingredients
- ½ pack (150g) Strawberry
- ¼ piece (150g) Melon
- 1 kiwi
- 1 orange
- 50g blueberries
- ½ lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons (about 40g) sugar
Instructions
- Wash the strawberries, remove the stems, and quarter them lengthwise.
- Cut the melon in half and remove the seeds using a spoon. Cut in half again (You will use about ¼ of a melon with the skin and seeds removed). Cut the melon in half again and remove the rind by cutting between the rind and the flesh Cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Cut the kiwi first, top and bottom Place lengthwise and peel along the rounded edges (You can also use a peeler). Cut in half lengthwise and slice.
- Wash the oranges and cut the top and bottom off (it is okay to cut off just enough to see the pulp). Place it vertically and cut off the peel along the roundness, scraping off the thin skin with each peel. Often the white part is left on the bottom, so turn the top and bottom over and remove the white part. Hold the orange in your hand and remove the pulp from the thin skin by inserting the knife in a V-shape along the pulp. There is some juice left in the remaining thin rind, so squeeze it out and combine it with the orange.
- Place the cut fruit and washed and drained blueberries in a bowl. Add the lemon juice and sugar and mix gently so as not to damage the fruit. Even if there are a few grains of sugar left, they will dissolve after a little while, so there is no need to force the mixture until they dissolve.
- Serve on a plate and it is ready to eat.
Notes
- Please use fruits that are readily available according to the season when making Macedonia.
- The basic seasoning for Macedonia is sugar and lemon juice, but feel free to add liqueur according to your preference.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Additional Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 35
- Sugar: 6
- Sodium: 1
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 9
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 0
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