Crab sticks are a familiar product that is actively used in Russian cooking. A variety of food options, a diet on crab sticks, soups with them - it would seem that there is nothing that ordinary people would not know about. However, in fact, it turns out: what such a product consists of, not everyone knows.
Pick your recipe
Crab sticks are one of the sought-after products on store shelves. Because they are nutritious and nutritious, you can make original and interesting dishes with them, put them in salads, use for baking, and at the same time they are not so expensive. Many amid such a demand are often interested in: what is included in this product?
Appearance story
The photo of crab sticks is familiar to everyone, it decorates almost all step-by-step recipes of certain dishes with the addition of this ingredient. But not everyone knows the history of sticks. She, by the way, is quite interesting.
Crab sticks have a rich history - their homeland is Japan, where they began to produce them for the first time. They appeared against the background of a decrease in the population of crabs - a favorite delicacy of the citizens of the country of the rising sun. The crab meat was used by the Japanese in different variations and to remain without it was akin to disaster for them. It is still unknown who came up with the idea to do a competent imitation, but the idea went off with a bang.
Imitate steel crab meat with chopped fish. The usefulness and value of the product, of course, was inferior to the natural crab, but, by and large, satisfied the final consumer.
To prepare crab sticks, fish meat (surimi) was taken, excess fluid was squeezed out of it, which made it possible to better fasten the meat and form crusts from it. After these bars were frozen - everything, they were ready for transportation and further use.
When crab sticks appeared in Russia, they began to carefully "work" with them to reduce the cost of the product - they began to add dyes, flavors and even slightly reduced the percentage of main raw materials (fish) - up to 25% against 45% used in the natural recipe. Entrepreneurs liked the easy-to-make dish so much that today we have dozens of names and types of crab sticks on the shelves.
Stick composition today
If you understand the composition of crab sticks in more detail, then today they traditionally include:
- Surimi - in fact, it’s just minced meat from various inexpensive white fish breeds, for example, hake, perch, blue whiting, etc., often sticks are based on pollock familiar to many Russians
- Egg powder - it contributes to an additional amount of protein in the product
- Starch - a material that provides the flexibility of sticks and helps to give them the desired shape
- Carrageenans, indicated on the packaging as E410 and E407 - they are required to increase weight, and this is a plus for the manufacturer, because helps reduce the cost of the product; this element is usually obtained from algae, which have high biological activity and protect against ulcers
- Various dyes and flavors that allow the sticks to get a characteristic "crab" color
- Monosodium glutamate is a well-known flavor enhancer, in Japan it is even called the "fifth flavor" after sweet, salty and other
- Vegetable oil
- All kinds of nutritional supplements
Each manufacturer has its own nuances. Therefore, you should carefully read the packaging to buy the highest quality product.
Calorie content
Any recipe requires a calorie count, especially when it comes to dishes for those who monitor their health. So, crab sticks are a fairly light dish, because 100 grams of the product contains only 100 kcal (calories). So 1-2 pieces of such a treat will not harm the figure.
If we consider the nutritional value of the product, then the share of proteins is 6 grams, and the share of carbohydrates is 10 g.
Often, due to such dietary properties, crab sticks are even suggested to be used with any dietary restrictions. For example, you can even make an original Olivier with them. Instead of sausage, sticks can be added to the salad, due to which it will immediately become less heavy and more useful.
In addition, the composition of the sticks contains substances such as:
- Selenium
- Phosphorus
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Chlorine
- Fluorine
- Vitamin PP
And they are characterized by a low content of saturated fats.
Naturally, there are also disadvantages - for example, in such a product there is sugar and sodium. Therefore, you should be more careful.
A selection of quality sticks
It is difficult to choose high-quality crab sticks, despite the variety. First of all, if you introduce this process in stages, you should pay attention to the color of the product - they should be white, uniform. A too intense red color indicates that color enhancers, such as curcumin, have been added to the sticks. This is not always bad. But there may be problems for those who have intolerance.
It is also worth looking at how the sticks behave after defrosting - they must maintain their integrity and not be stratified.
You should choose sticks in packages, and not by weight, because in the latter case, it will be difficult to verify information about the manufacturer, date of manufacture and other nuances. Naturally, it is necessary and thoroughly to study the composition indicated on the package. So, for example, if soy protein or starch is the first in the list of ingredients, it is better not to take such sticks. It is believed that there should be no protein in them, in principle, starch can be no more than 8-10%.