Do you know where the beautiful color of Campari comes from - this very popular drink? It is a bitter-tasting, intensely red aperitif from Italy. It is a base for many drinks.
Campariis one of the world's most populardrinks . Eagerly served as an aperitif before a meal, also often ordered in discos for a pleasant taste and unusualcolor . Do you know where it comes from?
Campari owes its unusual color to a dye obtained from a small insect - aphid (dactylopis coccus, earlier name coccus cacti) called cochineal. These aphids feed on various succulents and cacti. Formerly they were used to dye fabrics, now, in addition to being used as a dye in the food industry, they are also used in the production of cosmetics.
Aphids of this species were first harvested for industrial purposes in South America. Cochineal and prickly pear came to Europe and the Canary Islands, where today there are large cultivations of succulents and cacti (photos from Lanzarote), cochineal and prickly pear came in the 19th century. The large prickly pear crops in the Canary Islands are extremely decorative. The prickly pear also produces fruit that can be used to make jams and jellies. However, it is mainly grown for aphids, which, after drying, give that unusual color to campari, fabrics and cosmetics.
Most often, campari is served with ice (on the rocks), with soda water (campari soda) and with orange juice (campari orange). Campari orange beats the popularity of other drinks. The simplest recipe is: 1 orange, peeled and quartered, 30 ml campari, 70 ml orange juice, 4 crushed ice cubes. Ingredients poured into a tall glass should be chilled.