{"product_id":"shrub-oriental-sirup","title":"Oriental Shrub Syrup","description":"\u003ch2\u003eShrub Oriental. Eight spices, no fruit, and cinnamon leads the way.\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShrub Oriental\u003c\/strong\u003e is a spice syrup made from cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves, and four other spices, steeped in cloudy organic apple cider vinegar — the only variety with no fruit content. Not a mulled wine syrup, not a liquid curry powder, not a beverage syrup.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShrub Oriental\u003c\/strong\u003e is Schusters Shrub's vinegar-based spice syrup, for which eight spices are steeped together in apple cider vinegar. The other varieties from the house are named after a fruit, a herb, or a root. This one has no such name. Cinnamon and cardamom lead, the other six work behind them. What comes into the pot tastes like a spice rack and not an orchard. This variety stands at the extreme end of a line that begins with raspberry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy no fruit interferes here\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the aroma, cinnamon and star anise are upfront, followed by the earthy notes of cumin and coriander.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn the palate, the spice comes in waves, not all at once. First the sweet cinnamon, then the resinous notes of cardamom, finally the earthiness of cumin and turmeric. The clove draws a narrow, almost medicinal line between them. The chili is present but doesn't burn. It merely keeps the mixture awake. The apple cider vinegar here takes on the role that the fruit would otherwise have: it is the only acid in the glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!--nl--\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe finish leaves a dry, long-lasting spice. Those expecting a fruity syrup will find the Oriental too uncompromising. It is the most unwieldy in the range, and it intends to be. It is not suitable for a first contact with shrub, as it lacks the familiar anchor of a fruit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eA spoon in the pot, not in the glass\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis syrup belongs in dishes that need time: stews, casseroles, a tray of roasted vegetables.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStir a tablespoon into a tagine or a lentil stew. The spices are already steeped and dissolved in the vinegar. They do not need to be broken down in hot fat, as whole spices require. This saves you exactly the step where something most often burns in the pan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor couscous and bulgur, it goes into the dressing, along with lemon juice and oil. For roasted vegetables and roasted pumpkin, one tablespoon is enough for an entire tray. In sauces and dips, a teaspoon rounds off the flavor. Over roasted fruit like a baked apple or baked quinces, it replaces the entire spice blend that would otherwise be used. Those who prefer to clearly recognize a single aroma can opt for the \u003ca href=\"\/en\/products\/shrub-ingwer-sirup\"\u003esyrup with only one ingredient\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom experience:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dose smaller than you are used to with the fruit varieties. A spice syrup takes over a dish faster than a berry syrup, and nothing can be taken back. Diluted to 1:15 as a lemonade, it is drinkable, but for many guests, it remains an imposition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat vinegar does differently than boiling water\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe family's mulled wine syrup was created by Gabi Schuster boiling the spices in water. The Oriental takes the opposite approach.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHeat extracts everything, and all at once. Boiling water opens up cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise in the same half hour. A cold vinegar extract does not. It sorts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach spice releases its flavor at its own pace. Cloves are rich in eugenol, which quickly transfers into the liquid and dominates an infusion within a few days. A cinnamon stick, on the other hand, is bark, dense and slow, it needs weeks. Coriander seeds are somewhere in between. If everything went into the vinegar together and came out together, the result would be a clove syrup with eight ingredients on the shelf.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, not everything steeps for the same length of time. The slow spices begin, the fast ones are added later. A single fruit forgives a lot at this point, because it releases its flavor at a single pace. Eight spices release their flavors at eight paces, and the order determines the result. The finished spiced vinegar is sweetened with sugar and sealed boiling hot. After that, the bottle lasts for about three years without the need for a preservative.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhy this is not a winter syrup\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCinnamon, clove, and star anise are firmly assigned to a season in Germany. This variety takes them out of that context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe difference lies in the acidity. A mulled wine spice is in wine and sugar, and both pull the mixture towards sweetness. Here, the same spice family is in apple cider vinegar, and that pulls it towards dryness. That's why the syrup goes just as well with a lentil stew in March as it does with a baked apple in November. As a gift, it is the choice for people who take their spice rack seriously and view fruit in syrup more as a detour. Those who would prefer the spice to be buffered by an orange should opt for the \u003ca href=\"\/en\/products\/shrub-orange-cardamom-sirup\"\u003evariety where a fruit catches the spices\u003c\/a\u003e. About 60 g of sugar per 100 ml means that this spice syrup also remains a sweetener. Measured by the spoon, the value is worth considering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA syrup that gathers eight spices in one bottle — and saves you half a morning at the mortar.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Schusters Shrub","offers":[{"title":"250 ml","offer_id":56967442235718,"sku":"026SCH0011","price":11.9,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"3 x 250 ml","offer_id":56967442268486,"sku":"026SCH0011_3","price":35.7,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0998\/4960\/1350\/files\/schusters-shrub-oriental.png?v=1784273117","url":"https:\/\/ginusslande.com\/en\/products\/shrub-oriental-sirup","provider":"genussland","version":"1.0","type":"link"}