Recipe of the week: Acacia Jam (Robinia Jam)

The scent of its flowers is an unmistakable tint of the spring season, delicate and intense. Acacia flower is known not only for the production of essences, but also for honey, and for very original preparations such as the unusual but delicious jams.

The jam made from acacia flowers is excellent to accompany cheeses, delicious for breakfast on slices of toasted bread or for the preparation of desserts. The product is presented as a common jam with a creamy consistency, of a dark yellow-green color. The taste resembles acacia honey.

Acacia petal jam is known in the upper Valle Scrivia because the flowers were picked in the area. From the '30s the petals were sold to the patisseries of Genoa that made jams. The processing procedure is described in a recipe book (Paoline edition) of those years, now unobtainable.

The specific equipment for its processing are: mixer to blend the petals, citrus squeezer for lemon juice, steel cooking pot, glass jars with capsule cap for sterilization. The processing can be done at home, for a private consumption only, otherwise in the laboratory authorized by the local health authority if sold to the public. The conservation of the product has an annual duration.

[Credit Pixabay]

Recipe: 

1. The petals of the Robinia, also called pseudo Acacia, previously cleaned and deprived of the petiole, are mixed with lemon juice and a portion of sugar. 
2. Separately boil the water with the remaining sugar and lemon for 10 minutes, then add the mixture and cook for 30-45 minutes, until the consistency typical of jam. 
3. Finally, it is poured in the glass jars and sterilized in a pot of water for 20 minutes, or in the pasteurizer.