What is watermelon honey (nardek), how is it useful and how to prepare it. Recipes for making nardek - watermelon honey at home

On a note ! If you have never tried or prepared watermelon honey, you will probably be surprised at how easy it is to prepare, as well as its delicious, aromatic taste. But the most important thing is that nardek will cost much less than regular purchased honey!

What does it mean?

What is watermelon honey, what is this delicacy called?
It is obtained from the pulp of this berry, from which the juice is squeezed, and then it is boiled until thick on the stove in several stages. It is surprising that sugar and no other additives are needed for preparation. As we can see, bees play absolutely no role here, so “watermelon honey” is, in principle, a misnomer. But since it has taken root among the people, people still call this delicacy that way. Probably, this product was somewhat similar in consistency to ordinary honey produced by bees. Watermelon honey has another “name” - nardek. This name can be considered more official. When mentioning watermelon honey, the concepts “bekmez” and “bekmes” are sometimes also used. Both mean the same thing - it is the juice of berries or fruits boiled to a jelly-like state.

Honey from watermelons is usually brewed in season - in the fall, when they become cheap, because to prepare a small jar of such honey you will need quite a lot of the original product.

Contraindications

Nardek has no obvious contraindications. As already indicated, it is not recommended for children under 5 years of age and adults who have allergic reactions to watermelons. People with gastritis should use watermelon honey with caution to prevent relapse or exacerbation.

It is better for nursing mothers to avoid such delicacies so as not to provoke colic or diarrhea in babies.

A little history

Central Asia is considered the birthplace of watermelon honey, then the Don Cossacks adopted the experience of preparing this delicacy from its inhabitants. Over time, the recipe spread, and all melon growers began to cook according to it. It was not possible to sell all the berries during the season; we did not have time to eat the rest, and it was a pity to throw them away. In difficult times, it was necessary to eat something, so melon growers made such preparations.

Today, nardek (watermelon honey) is brewed almost everywhere. In some places it’s based on an old traditional recipe, in others it’s slightly modified and some of its own flavor is added, but the cooking principle remains the same.

The Cossacks brewed honey from watermelons in late autumn, when the main batch of the product had already been sold. Usually small but pot-bellied berries remained, and this delicacy was prepared from them. Watermelons were cut into two parts, the pulp was scooped out using spoons and passed through a sieve made of horsehair to obtain the juice. It was poured into a large cast iron cauldron, which was placed over an open fire.

The Cossacks boiled watermelon juice until it turned into a thickened brown syrup with a characteristic odor. As a result, the consistency of nardek should have resembled young honey. This sign was used to determine the readiness of the treat. The finished honey was stored in two ways: poured into clay pots and taken to a cool basement, or rolled into glass jars, as we do now.

Adygeans love to enjoy nardek, eating it with tea as jam, pouring it over pancakes, crumpets, casseroles instead of syrup, and simply spreading it on a piece of bread.

Tips for beginner cooks

Before you begin the process of preparing nardek, it is worth familiarizing yourself with some rules that will make cooking easier.

• You don’t have to cover the jar of watermelon honey with a lid. All you have to do is wrap the neck with parchment paper and tie it with a rubber band.
• Store watermelon honey in a dark room without ventilation.
• If you decide to grind watermelon pulp using a blender, first immerse all its parts in boiling water to kill any unpleasant odors from the machine.
• Choose only ripe berries, because unripe watermelons will make a sour nardek dessert.
• Make sure that the dish does not burn during the cooking process, because the burning smell will spoil the whole effect.

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Characteristics of watermelon honey

This variety is popular in Russia. It has been prepared since ancient times. Used in cooking, cosmetology, medicine. Possesses a wide range of actions. The product can be prepared in the fall, when the berries are fully ripe. Then you will get a real fragrant Nardek.

The product has a thick consistency and viscosity. The pleasant aroma and taste will be an excellent addition to desserts and baked goods. Suitable for people who are on a diet.

Treatment of diseases:

Nardecas contain the maximum number of beneficial properties. Can be used in winter, when such fruits are not available fresh. Watermelons can be used to treat colds and viral diseases. It has a good effect on the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. Strengthens the immune system and joints. The composition of the finished product is suitable for use by everyone.

How to fake it:

There is no point in counterfeiting this delicacy. It is prepared during the season when the watermelon is ripe and inexpensive. Since it does not require added sugar, it is considered a budget variety. Despite this, it retains useful substances. You can find fakes in stores. Unscrupulous manufacturers use dyes and flavors to attract buyers.

What is it needed for

Artificial honey is a glucose-fructose syrup equal to sucrose in sweetness and nutritional value. It contains neither enzymes, nor microelements, nor vitamins characteristic of a natural product. There are no medicinal or cosmetic properties. Therefore, it is used only as a sweetener.

Important! Artificial honey is widely used in cooking. This is due to the fact that when a natural product is heated, hydroxymethylfurfuric acid is released, which has a carcinogenic effect on the body. It is contraindicated for people with allergies due to the presence of allergens - biologically active substances and compounds contained in pollen

The artificial product has a lower calorie content, so it can complement the diet of overweight people

It is contraindicated for people with allergies due to the presence of allergens - biologically active substances and compounds contained in pollen. The artificial product has a lower calorie content, so it can complement the diet of overweight people.

Composition of artificial honey:

• carbohydrates – 80%;
• sugar in dry residue – 70%;
• water – 20%;
• impurities – 3%.

How to make honey yourself? To make the delicacy you will need a few ingredients; the main component of the recipes is cane or beet sugar.

What is the name of

Among housewives, the delicacy is known not only as watermelon honey. There is another name - nardek or watermelon honey, which is considered official. In various recipes and descriptions you can find names such as “bekmez” or “bekmez”. All this is considered correct. Simple watermelon juice, boiled to a jelly-like state. It is usually done at the height of the season, when the cost of watermelons is quite low. After all, in order to prepare one small jar of delicacy, you will need a large amount of juice.

The birthplace of watermelons is Central Asia. It was from there that the recipe was borrowed by the Don Cossacks. The recipe quickly gained popularity. After all, a large number of watermelons disappear during the season. By making watermelon honey, you can avoid catastrophic losses. Today, nardek is produced everywhere where watermelons are grown.

Juice extraction

To make honey, you only need the pulp; it needs to be wrapped in several layers of gauze. This is done in order to separate the seeds from the juice. Then they begin to crush the pulp with their hands or a press. This can also be done using a juicer, but then you will either have to carefully select the seeds from the pieces of watermelon, or the broken seeds will end up in the future nardek. The honey recipe will then have a slight bitter taste, which not everyone likes.

As soon as the juice is squeezed out, it must be passed through cheesecloth or a fine sieve to remove all unnecessary things - random seeds and pulp.

Composition and calorie content

Nardek is a low-calorie delicacy. One hundred grams of the product contains only 110 kcal. And this despite the fact that there is about 60 percent sugar. Therefore, watermelon honey is not contraindicated for people suffering from diabetes. In addition, nardek contains:

• fats – 9%;
• proteins – 1%;
• beta carotene;
• vitamins – A, B, E, C, PP;
• calcium;
• potassium;
• iron;
• phosphorus;
• sodium;
• magnesium.

Cooking stage

After all the manipulations with the extraction, they begin to cook honey from watermelon juice. This should be done over medium heat, stirring constantly and skimming off the foam.

After a few hours, the juice should have reduced by half. When this happens, the fire must be turned off, and it is better to pour the mass into another pan so that nothing burns. Nardek is left in a dark place for 12 hours.

Then the juice must be passed through a sieve and the cooking stage repeated three times. Each time the syrup will thicken and decrease. After the last cooking, watermelon honey does not need to be left for 12 hours; its readiness is immediately checked.

If you start cooking nardek early in the morning, it may take about two days, although you will also have to sweat a little at night. Well, if you take one day for each stage of cooking, then you can do it in three days.

It's better to spend your precious time and not be lazy. It is not recommended to cook nardek at one time, otherwise it will turn out too dark and will burn a little on the pan.

Benefits and harms

An important property of watermelon honey is its ability to retain all the beneficial substances in its composition even after heat treatment. This makes the product a useful tool for the prevention of viral and colds. Consumption of nardek helps in the treatment of sore throat and bronchitis, laryngitis and multiple sclerosis, blood diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

Important! Honey is consumed during a diet for weight loss, replacing the usual high-calorie desserts.

Other beneficial properties of watermelon delicacy are known in folk medicine:

• normalizes kidney function;
• improves digestion and functioning of the entire gastrointestinal tract;
• increases the level of hemoglobin in the blood;
• strengthens the immune system;
• prevents pathological changes in liver tissues and cells.

It is believed that honey from watermelon pulp is useful for cancer. It is recommended to add it to the diet of those who are struggling with tuberculosis or undergoing treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

Nardek restores the body after illnesses, replenishes the lack of fluid and normalizes the water-salt balance.

There is no direct harm to health from consuming watermelon honey. This is a safe delicacy that people of all ages can easily include in the menu in moderation (except for certain groups of people, which we will talk about towards the end of the article, in the appropriate section).

Storage rules

Nardek watermelon honey must be stored in the same way as many other homemade preparations. You need to prepare sterilized glass jars, pour nardek into them, and roll up the lid using a seaming machine. Now the product will last until spring without any problems in a cool place, protected from direct sunlight. Long-term storage is facilitated by the high sugar content, which itself has preservative properties.

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How to cook nardek at home

To prepare watermelon honey, select ripe fruits without any traces of putrefaction. If the berry is unripe, you will have to add sugar. As a result, nardek loses its taste. Each recipe involves the same preliminary preparation of fruits:

• wash the selected watermelons and cut them into two halves;
• Using a large tablespoon, scoop out all the pulp;
• the pulp is placed in a large container;
• Mash everything and remove the seeds;
• grind the resulting mass through a sieve into another container.

It is necessary to filter the pulp through a sieve or cheesecloth. This way the composition is saturated with oxygen. Using the recipe provided, continue working on creating nardek.

Selection and preparation of fruits

Only ripe and sweet fruits are selected for making honey. Unripe watermelons make a sour and not very rich dessert. You will have to add sugar to it, which reduces the benefits.

First, watermelons are prepared:

1. They are washed well and cut into two halves.
2. Using a large spoon, scoop out the pulp. It is better to do this in a large container so that the dripping juice does not disappear - it will come in handy later.
3. All seeds are removed from the resulting mass and the pulp and juice are mashed with a wooden spoon.
4. The entire composition is ground through a sieve. This way it will acquire a homogeneous and airy consistency.

You can use a blender to grind the pulp, but subsequent filtration through cheesecloth or a sieve is required.

Proportions

You read watermelon recipes and see that everything is listed in grams. But how do you know how much to use when you don't have a kitchen scale? Below are the proportions.

• 1 teaspoon is 7 g of nardek.
• 1 tablespoon - 20 g of product.
• 1 glass (per 200 milliliters) – 320 g of nardek.

Classic recipe

The classic version of nardek differs little from the recipe according to which the Don Cossacks prepared the dessert 100 years ago. The description of the recipe in the magazine “Our Food” of the late 19th century almost completely coincides with the modern one, and any housewife can prepare the delicacy in this way.

To make this dessert, you only need watermelons; no additional ingredients are required. How many berries does it take to make nardek? It should be borne in mind that the juice boils down very strongly, so to obtain 1 kg of honey you will need 16-17 kg of ripe watermelons.

Recipe step by step with photos:

1. Select large, ripe and sweet watermelons and rinse them under running water. Cut each berry into two parts and scoop out the pulp with a spoon.
2. The pulp is placed in a large bowl and thoroughly mashed with a masher to release as much juice as possible. Grind the watermelon puree through a sieve, removing the seeds and veins. The resulting juice is filtered through a sieve several times.
3. Berry juice is poured into a thick-bottomed pan or kettle. Thin-walled pans are not suitable: the dessert will burn in them.
4. Place the pan on low heat and wait until it boils. When the liquid boils, you need to leave it for several minutes over low heat, periodically skimming off the foam.
5. After 5-10 minutes, remove the pan from the stove, cool the juice and filter through cheesecloth several times.
6. Then the liquid is poured back into the pan and put on fire. The longest stage of digestion begins, which requires a lot of patience and care from the housewife so that the dish does not burn or run away. The juice is boiled for 3.5-4 hours, stirring every 10 minutes. You can also use a slow cooker for cooking, then the housewife will not have to worry about the dish burning.
7. How to determine the readiness of dessert? It becomes dark, thick and viscous. The mass is removed from the heat and poured into pre-sterilized glass jars. The dessert is stored in a cool place - a cellar or refrigerator.

Adyghe recipe

In this recipe for making watermelon honey, in addition to juice, sour cream or cream is used. The result is a delicious creamy dessert that will have a delicate texture and a soft, pleasant taste.

Ingredients for Adyghe nardek:

• 3 medium ripe watermelons;
• 100 ml sour cream or cream.

How to prepare watermelon honey in Adyghe style:

1. Wash each watermelon thoroughly under the tap and dry with a clean towel. Cut in half to allow the juice to drain into a deep container. Scoop out the pulp with a spoon and add to the juice.
2. Crush the watermelon pulp and pass through a sieve to remove veins and seeds.
3. Place the mixture in a saucepan and place on the stove. Cook over medium heat until it boils, then simmer the mixture over low heat until brown.
4. Readiness is checked as follows: pour a spoonful of the mixture onto a saucer, and if the nardek does not spread over the surface, the fire can be turned off.
5. Add fresh cream or sour cream to the cooled honey made from watermelon juice and mix well. Place in glass jars that have been previously sterilized.
6. Adyghe nardek is stored in the refrigerator.

With added mint

Mint nardek is an ideal addition to fruit salads or baked goods. The herb with its exquisite aroma gives the dish a special piquancy and freshness, and throughout the winter it will remind you of the warm summer.

For preparation you will need:

• 3 kg of watermelons;
• 0.5 kg sugar (brown can be used);
• a few sprigs of mint and thyme.

Sequencing:

1. Strain the watermelon pulp and juice through a sieve.
2. In a separate bowl, mix chopped mint leaves, thyme and sugar.
3. Add them to the berry mixture and simmer on low heat.
4. Boil, stirring constantly. The mixture should thicken and acquire a rich dark red color.

You cannot cook honey from watermelon quickly and over high heat, otherwise the product will not thicken, and if it is not properly filtered through one layer of gauze, veins will remain in it.

Common mistakes when preparing nardek

Quite often, housewives make mistakes when cooking nardek, which result in a spoiled product. What is most often done wrong:

1. Watermelon juice is boiled for too long or, conversely, undercooked;
2. They forget to stir the watermelon mixture periodically, which causes the product to burn;
3. They squeeze the juice out of the pulp poorly, leaving seeds and veins.

Some mistakes can be corrected, for example, by cooking the nardek or straining the finished product to remove the seeds. But burnt honey will have to be thrown away, since the taste will already be spoiled.

On a note! For cooking honey, preference should be given to pans with a wide, thick bottom. In such a container, the contents will definitely not burn, provided that it is constantly stirred.

To prepare unusual honey you do not need any special skills or professional skills. You just need patience, because you will have to cook the sweet product for a long time, but the result will exceed all expectations. On cold winter evenings, you can treat your loved ones, as well as guests, to an amazing watermelon delicacy that everyone, without exception, will surely enjoy.

Step-by-step preparation

1. Watermelon honey requires only ripe watermelon pulp. The fact is that the sugar content in it should be as high as possible. In this situation, watermelon honey will turn out to be thick rather than watery.
2. Wash the watermelon under the tap. Cut it into two parts over a wide container. We must not waste some of the juice, and a sufficiently deep container will reliably preserve it. We take a tablespoon and begin to scoop out the pulp from the watermelon halves, transferring them directly into the container. A tip is to use a basin as a container.
3. Mash the chopped watermelon pulp using a masher. If you don't have it on hand, a large spoon will do. The next thing we will do with the resulting mush is to get rid of the seeds. What kind of honey is this, with seeds?
4. We pass the pulp through a sieve, finally turning it into an amorphous mass. We throw away the bones. Next, we extract the juice from the pulp. To do this, without bothering, we use gauze fabric folded in half. We collect a bag from it, into which we place one spoon of pulp. When we have squeezed out all the available pulp into a bowl, we get rid of it.
5. Place the bowl of juice on the stove and turn on the heat. Boil the watermelon juice, skimming off the foam growing on the surface. Boiling the juice should take no longer than a couple of minutes. Let it cool and then pass it through new fresh gauze. We return the juice from the container into which it was poured back into the bowl. The basin is on the stove, and the stove is on low heat.
6. We are waiting and watching. You will have to watch the cooking for a long time, at least several hours. This is very tedious, because in addition to attention, it requires stirring the juice every five minutes so that it does not burn. The more ripe the watermelon, the less time it will take to thicken the juice. This is another reason to be more selective when choosing watermelon for cooking.
7. As the name of the recipe suggests, the juice should ideally reach a thickness close to bee honey. As it is ready, watermelon honey will become less and less pinkish-scarlet, and more and more brown. When it becomes thick enough, check - it doesn’t spread, it means it’s ready.
8. Fill the pan with water. Set the stove temperature to maximum. We boil some water and sterilize in this boiling water the jars in which our watermelon honey, or, in popular words, nardek, will be stored. We also sterilize the caps. We seal the jars with them and put them in the refrigerator. The shelf life of nardek, by the way, significantly exceeds the shelf life of watermelon juice.

How to use watermelon honey

Nardek is actively used as a general tonic. It is useful for children and adults during the treatment and prevention of colds. Watermelon honey is indispensable for boosting immunity. But this is not all of its healing properties. It is taken to combat insomnia, as well as to eliminate the effects of stress.

Where can you use honey from watermelon juice?

Nardek can be used like regular honey or jam: serve it with tea or coffee, pour it over pancakes, bake pies, cakes or cookies with it, add it to porridge and puddings instead of sugar. In addition, nardek is used for medicinal purposes:

1. Those on a weight loss diet are allowed to add a teaspoon to drinks. Watermelon honey is sweet due to natural sugars, so it can be consumed in small quantities on diets.
2. To improve stomach function, it is recommended to drink a glass of boiled water with two teaspoons of nardek in the morning on an empty stomach.
3. To treat a cold, you can prepare the following medicinal mixture: mix a spoonful of nardek with a spoonful of apple cider vinegar, add a small amount of chopped onion. Mix everything well, dissolve the mixture slowly.
4. For liver diseases, a decoction of oats with a teaspoon of nardek is recommended.
5. A decoction of rosehip with a spoonful of honey from watermelon juice will help with pain in the heart area and will also increase hemoglobin.

For adults

Nardek recommends it as a therapeutic and prophylactic remedy for adults. Every evening, drink a glass of warm tea or milk, adding 2-3 teaspoons of watermelon honey to the warm drink.

1. To quench thirst, add 1-2 tablespoons of the product to a glass of warm water.
2. To prevent liver and kidney diseases, add 2-3 tablespoons of honey daily to oatmeal and cottage cheese.
3. Cure old cough. Dilute the treat with onion juice. The aroma of watermelon will overcome the unpleasant odor. Take 2-3 tablespoons of the product.
4. Nardek is used to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Add 2-3 tablespoons to rose hip decoctions and herbal teas instead of sugar.

For children

Children perceive nardek as an ordinary dessert. But it must be introduced into the diet gradually, starting with a few teaspoons. It is generally not recommended to give watermelon honey to children under five years of age. In the sixth year of life, the drug is used:

• as a means to increase immunity in winter;
• to normalize the activity of the gastrointestinal tract;
• as a remedy for the treatment of colds.

Nardek is added to warm milk, tea, and added to cereals. The daily norm is 3-4 teaspoons. Therapeutic and preventive measures are carried out for 3-4 days, then take a break. if necessary, you can repeat the course after 3 days.

Watermelon salad with feta

Ingredients:

Watermelon (half). Feta cheese (150 grams). Olives (50 grams). Red onion (1 onion). Honey (1 tsp). Balsamic vinegar (1 tbsp). Black pepper. Salt. Pine nuts. Basil. Mint. Parsley. Olive oil (3 tbsp). Olives (50 grams).

Preparation:

1. Cut the olives into halves, the onions into half rings, the watermelon and cheese into cubes, the greens into small pieces.
2. Mix everything in a deep container.
3. Season the salad with a mixture of pepper, salt, honey, vinegar and oil.
4. You can decorate with pine nuts.
5. You can serve the salad in the “crust” of half a watermelon.

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Beauty Recipes

Watermelon honey "Bakhchevoy" is popular. He was famous in ancient times among the Cossacks. Women used it for beauty support to slow down the aging process. Used mainly for the skin of the face and hands. This aromatic syrup has the property of giving the skin a delicious smell. You can get special cosmetics from it. Add to shampoos, balms, masks, gels and creams.

Face masks

Masks based on this Nardek have a good effect on the skin. They moisturize it, saturate it with a pleasant smell, impart velvety, elasticity. Since ancient times, it has been a popular remedy for preventing wrinkles and slowing down aging. It is useful to mix it with cosmetic clay, olive and sea buckthorn oil.

Hair masks

The finished product is useful to use in its pure form. It is applied to the roots and ends of the hair. Accelerates their growth, imparts shine and brightness. Masks with henna and burdock oil are considered effective.

Honey for the body

In this case, watermelon syrup is added to baths for bathing. It has a good effect on the condition of the skin, moisturizes it and protects it from external irritants.

Massage

Massage with Nardek is carried out to get a good relaxing effect. Its aroma promotes relaxation.