Discover pink radicchio, a food that is a hit on Instagram –

Instagram is full of beautiful and inspiring food images. Therefore, it is not surprising that, from time to time, a dish becomes a trend there! The hit of the moment is the pink salad, which is making waves in the feeds of those who follow gastronomic profiles. Unlike anything you’ve seen before, it’s made with pink radicchio instead of the familiar green leaves. The photogenic dish won the hearts of users, but what will this food taste like anyway?

Radicchio is a vegetable of Italian origin, a cousin of chicory, with a bitter taste and crunchy texture. It is more common to find it in purple color – the pink variation is grown in only two regions of the world: Veneto, Italy, and in some places in the United States, such as Pennsylvania and California. The radicchio is harvested in autumn, replanted and covered with sand to prevent exposure to the sun and darkening of the leaves.

According to chef and functional nutritionist Carlos Rocha, from São Paulo, there are several dishes that go well with radicchio, such as risottos and pasta. “He it can be consumed both raw and seasoned with olive oil and salt, and its firm texture allows it to be roasted or grilled”, points out Carlos. To reduce the bitter taste, he recommends washing the vegetable with warm water.

It’s not common to find pink radicchio in Brazil, but if you come across it at a fair, it’s worth taking it home: the food is full of vitamins and minerals. “Source of vitamin A and C, magnesium and potassium, it should be chosen when it is more mature”, comments Carlos.

On the plate, the vegetable can be combined with foods sour, sweet or salty. See a suggestion for a salad made with pink radicchio recommended by the nutritionist:

Salad with pink radicchio

INGREDIENTS

100 grams of pink radicchio 50 grams of cherry tomatoes 100 grams of eggplant Salt to taste Vinegar to taste Olive oil to taste

METHOD OF PREPARATION

Keep the radicchio leaves for 5 minutes in warm water to remove the bitterness. Cut the eggplant into thin slices without removing the skin and soak them for 3 minutes in cold water with salt and vinegar. After this time, fry the eggplant slices in a non-stick frying pan without oil. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and assemble the salad in the following order: eggplant, radicchio and tomato. Season with salt, oil and vinegar.