Sweeter than Sugar – and no calories
So much of our diet is based on a European heritage. In our major cities this has been changing over the past few decades with the influx of people from the Middle East, Asia and now Africa. With them have come a huge range of herbs and spices. These are making their way, albeit slowly, from the specialist food shops with names in strange languages and even stranger text, to our major supermarkets. They are also slowly making their way into the nursery trade and onto the garden centres.
At the same time we are seeing many a ‘wonder plant’ from Central and South America. One of these is Stevia or the Sugar Plant. This little gem is reported to be 30 times sweeter than sugar, easier to grow and has no calories or any affect blood sucrose levels making it a positive for diabetics. Indeed it is an important part of the diet of many Asian countries where it is widely used instead of sugar. In Japan it has been widely available since 1970 and now makes up to 40% of the sweetener market.
Stevia is quite a large genus with more than 200 species. It is native to southern North America, Central America and South America where different species can be found in most environments. However it is only Stevia rebaudiana that has the large concentration of the two super sweet compounds stevioside and rebaudioside. It is these that are extracted to make the artificial sweetener pills and powder used around the world today.
Politics has made its way into our food again with several places initially banning the plant and the products. They included countries in the European Union, Singapore and the US. Over the last few years, after much protest, the bans have been lessened and there is now the hypocritical situation where many countries allow it to be sold as a dietary supplement, herbal supplement or natural medicine. It is also permitted to grow and use the plants but not the extracts. The arguments for the bans are the supposed side effects. It seems that they are a problem if it is sold as a sweetener or food additive but not as supplement. However in 2006 the World Health Organisation found that Stevia and its associated extracts were not only safe for consumption but even have beneficial affects. Perhaps the real cause for the bans is pressure from large chemical companies. At present two large US food and beverage companies now have branded extracts and are looking at producing Stevia sweetened versions of their popular cola drinks.
Stevia should be planted in a warm spot in the garden as it does not respond to extreme cold, especially when young. It is best grown in large pots that can be brought close to the house in winter. It is a deciduous shrub in the colder parts of the country where the plant will die back and produce small buds just below ground. It is these that need to be protected from frost during the colder parts of winter. If this is done it will re-emerge as soon as the warm weather arrives. It likes well drained soil and doesn’t require high levels of nutrients. It is best to harvest leaves as needed or just prior to flowering for drying. If this is the intention then cut it back to about to about 30% so that there is some foliage left to feed the roots etc prior to winter.
Like so many food products, seed grown plants are quite variable in the flavour and yield. There are two basic forms available in Australia. One is of seed origin and has a rounded leaf and the other that is a clonal type originating in Italy. It has longer more lanceolate leaves and the cultivar name ‘Bertoni’. Using the Stevia will require some experimenting to get the level of sweetness each person desires.
Stevia leaves are excellent for sweetening herbal teas and should be simply picked and used fresh. They also can be added to your favourite salad dressing, salad or desert.
Sweet n Spicy Rosemary Salad Dressing.
300 ml Extra virgin olive oil
60 ml Red wine vinegar
60 ml each of finely chopped Stevia leaves and fresh Rosemary leaves
30 ml of finely chopped Hot n Spicy Oreganoleaves.
Crush herb leaves then m ix all ingredients. The herbs should be varied to personal taste.