{"product_id":"rhubarbaria","title":"Rhubarbaria","description":"From its home in the northern climes of Asia, rhubarb first came to Europe in classical times as a dried root with medicinal qualities. And it was as medicine that it was initially proposed to a British public. ‘It purifieth the bloud and make yong wenches look faire and cherry-like,’ says Gerard in his Herbal in 1597. It wasn’t until the 18th century that the fruit or vegetable (its true nature was a matter for a lawsuit in America some years ago.) was introduced to English tables. Mary Prior has undertaken an extensive search through earlier literature and presents here a commented repertoire of every sort of rhubarb recipe. Whether with meat or fish, vegetables, as a pudding in its own right, as a jam or in chutney: all sorts of bright ideas are here explained. Given that it is one of the few plants that every gardener can manage to harvest – slug-proof, drought-proof, flood-proof, the lot – that delectable tartness and fresh, roseate pink can ornament the tables of rich man and poor. And, strange to be said, there is nothing more English than rhubarb.","brand":"vendor-unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":3932848619531,"sku":"978-1-903018-61-3","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2996\/3458\/products\/a7b86575391c3fb8c951f4773e89a1da.jpg?v=1518020532","url":"https:\/\/www.openbookcoffee.live\/products\/rhubarbaria","provider":"The Shetland Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}