The recipe for the famous muesli of the Swiss physician Bircher, known all over the world since the end of the 19th century and undeservedly ignored in Russia.
The great physician and nutritionist, ahead of his time, Maximillian Bircher-Benner, in his sanatorium in Zurich, every morning served muesli to patients according to his own recipe. It was the 19th century, at that time in enlightened Europe (and, in particular, in Switzerland), it was believed that if a person is sick and experiencing a breakdown, he needs to eat a lot of meat and white bread. Benner, in defiance of this belief, fed patients mainly fresh vegetables and fruits. Muesli was also included in the daily diet.
In Russia, muesli is not the most popular breakfast product, and this is a sure sign that they are healthy. So, how to cook the famous Banner's muesli, they are Swiss muesli?
Banner's original recipe used oatmeal, which is still the standard base, although many modern chefs use a mixture of oats and rye. The recipes also differ in the ratio of oats to fruit. The original uses just one tablespoon of oats per person plus two apples, while John Williams of the Ritz offers a whopping 100 grams per person plus one fruit. Practice shows that 25 grams per person is enough.
Benner's main find is.
For one person you will need:
- 25 g oatmeal;
- 1 tablespoon of dried apricots, chopped (or other dried fruit of your choice);
- 6 tablespoons of apple juice
- 1 apple, grate it on a coarse grater;
- half a cup of milk;
- a handful of almonds, roughly pound;
- a spoonful of yogurt (optional, optional);
- honey (optional).
Soak oats and dried fruit in apple juice overnight. This will give the maximum positive effect. In the morning, when you cook, place the grated apple in a bowl along with a pinch of salt. Add milk to bring it to the consistency of a loose porridge (by the way, curiously, Benner recommended using condensed milk instead of fresh milk - he feared the spread of tuberculosis through fresh milk). Sprinkle with nuts and add a spoonful of yogurt and some honey.
The yogurt should be unsweetened and free of sugar. See the composition on the label.
Note: The original recipe should be drizzled with lemon juice as well, presumably to balance the overwhelming sweetness. In general, lemon juice is also an additional vitamin C, but not all children enjoy this juice. There are two options: either do not get too carried away with honey, so that the flavor profile of the dish is not skewed towards sweetness, or add juice, but try other citrus fruits - for example, not lemon juice, but lime juice.
Remember, a good breakfast is a good day.
