One of the best things in life must be food, because at the end of the day, some good quality chocolate, a delicious pie or colorful cupcake can really make a big difference. And although sugar tends to be one of the key ingredients in these treats, when you have no problem with moderation, there is no need to feel guilty or worry about your health. So there is nothing standing in your way to try some delicious summer treats. Today’s article by ShBarcelona will tell you more about typical, refreshing summer refreshments.
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Enjoy these sweet refreshments in summer
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Summer is the perfect time for something sweet and refreshing. When heat influences your blood pressure, sugar can help to avoid the body’s natural reaction to high temperatures. The first recommendation on our list of summer treats is therefore full of natural sugars: a smoothie. A smoothie is similar to a milkshake, but it is made with pieces of fruit, which contain natural sugars. Its main ingredient is often a dairy product, whether it be milk, yogurt or a non-dairy milk, such as soy milk, oat milk or almond milk, but the basis of a smoothie can also be a fruit juice. A smoothie is usually blended with ice, to keep you nice and cool. Its consistency is slightly thicker than a milkshake, and adding chopped fruit or vegetables to your smoothie, obviously makes it thicker than just fresh fruit juice. An authentic smoothie is made with natural or frozen fruit, cut into smaller cubes and then blended just before consumption. And when smoothies are mixed with fruit and crushed ice, they look like natural, but creamier fruit slushies.
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Another delicious and sweet summer treat is horchata, a refreshing, creamy drink, originally from Alboraya, which is a town in Valencia. Horchata is made with water, sugar, tiger nuts, cinnamon and a lemon peel. Tiger nuts are tubers, but very small in size and they come from the roots of the tiger nut sedge. This drink is very popular in Spain, and you mainly drink it on hot summer days, although you can buy it all year round. You drink horchata with a straw, and it is sometimes accompanied by fartons, a kind of elongated brioche that you soak in your horchata. If you haven’t tasted horchata yet, try it this summer! But besides smoothies and horchatas, what would be the best treat in summer? Ice cream, of course… An ice lolly can be made from juice or flavoured water, but there is also creamy ice, and they both come in many different qualities. Big ice cream factories generally use artificial colours, artificial flavours and stabilisers, to enhance appearance and flavour. Most of these commercial ice cream brands can be found in the frozen section of your supermarket. But if you don’t eat that much ice cream and quality is important to you, go for the delicious artisanal ice creams, that are made in smaller ice cream factories. They use artisan procedures and sometimes an ice cream shop even has its own, traditional ice churning facility. They use fresh ingredients, and unlike ice cream from industrial facilities, no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives are added. Artisanal ice cream looks very creamy and is mouth watering. Artisanal ice cream is, of course, more expensive than regular ice cream from a big factory, but once you taste it, you understand the price difference. Interesting fact: Italy, Argentina, Germany and Japan are countries that have specialized in delicious artisanal ice cream.
What is your favourite treat on hot summer days in Barcelona?
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