Michelle Darmody: A celebration of rhubarb
This is an unashamed celebration of rhubarb. I am biased as it is one of my favourite ingredients to bake with, its tartness, its colour and its ability to combine with other flavours always attract me to it. Strangely rhubarb is not a fruit even though we most often treat it like it is. The definition of a fruit is something that contains seeds, which is why a tomato and an avocado are both technically fruit. The rest of an edible plant is considered a vegetable — the stalks, the leaves and the roots.
The rhubarb plant is originally from Asia but grows quite profusely in Ireland. The forced rhubarb, which has a more tender texture and is lighter pink in colour, is now giving way to the hardier outdoor variety. This takes a little more time to soften when being baked or cooked as it is more fibrous. When buying rhubarb, I always gravitate towards the redder and pinker stems, if they are too green they will need more sugar or honey added.
