"Sunshine on St. Valentine, gives good wine"
It's Valentine's Day. As with so many traditions, this special day has gone down in commerce. Valentine's Day was originally a day when you could anonymously send a token of love to someone, usually by means of a card or red roses. The distinctive feature of "Valentine" is that it deals with multiple legends throughout history. One tradition tells of a young couple who presented themselves to Bishop Valentine asking if he wanted to marry them. In itself nothing strange of course, was it not that the male side of the couple was a pagan soldier and the lady in question a Christian. It was at that time forbidden by Emperor Claudius to marry someone in the Christian Church who was not a believer. Bishop Valentine, however, thought love weighed more heavily than the rules of the emperor and married the couple. This produced a kind of avalanche effect and soon more of these love couples came up with the same request. This was way too much for the Emperor and he arrested Valentine. The result was that Emperor Claudius decapitated Valentine. That happened on February 14th. Just before the verdict was executed Valentine saw a chance to give the prison keeper's daughter a note, "From your Valentine" was on it. The other tradition has a different outcome. The prison officer in question came to visit Valentine in prison with the question whether he could cure his blind daughter. After Valentine's execution the girl received a small note on behalf of Valentine, from which a yellow flower fell (when people asked him for advice he gave them a flower, hence the floral greeting on Valentine's Day). The note said 'From Valentinus' and immediately she could see again ... In the year 496, Pope Gelasius I proclaimed the day of February 14th. into the day of the Holy Valentine.
About 20 years ago the Valentine´s day habit came to us from the United States and that became the rise of Valentine's Day in Europe. This was usually expressed in special Valentines cards with hearts or a beautiful rose. Nowadays, nothing is crazy enough. Moreover, the anonymous aspect of this day has in most cases made place for a party of lovers among themselves. There is now a whole battery of Valentine’s articles; arrangements, dinners, bouquets, even cushions and candles in the form of hearts, stuffed animals, red lingerie, and then there is also a special valentines stamp available...
Those of us who are not feeling like all this extra fuss we limit ourselves to a beautiful card accompanied by (preferably pure) chocolate and / or red wine. Apart from the fact that this is delicious, these two consumables also have a nice additional healthy effect (if taken in moderation) and thus indirectly also has an influence on your "real" heart.
Cocoa contains antioxidants (including flavonoids) and these antioxidants protect against the so-called "free radicals", which pose a danger and play a role in the development of arteriosclerosis. Moreover, they help to lower the bad (LDL) cholesterol in the blood, and increase the good (HDL) cholesterol level. Red wine also has these pleasant qualities because also these flavonoids are present (these are mainly in the grape skins) and thus have the same beneficial effects on the body as with the chocolate. Alcohol has a blood-thinning effect and that is good against cardiovascular diseases. The above applies to moderate intake, f.e. for a man about two to three, and for a woman about one and a half to two glasses a day. If you drink more you will enter the "danger zone" again. Alcohol also contains free radicals and they are bad for the liver. Furthermore, too much alcohol is bad for your blood pressure; it can contribute to the development of obesity, breast cancer and accidents as a result of reduced responsiveness.
White wine also has many of these "healthy" qualities and therefore for those who want to surprise their love on this special day a "love recipe":
Strawberries in white wine
Ingredients (for 6 portions);
-500g fresh strawberries, uncrowned and in divided in four parts
-150g caster sugar
-1/2 bottle of white wine
-whipped cream
Put the strawberries in a bowl, sprinkle with the caster sugar and pour half of the wine over it.
Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for about 2 to 3 hours.
Take it around 15 to 20 minutes before you serve it from the refrigerator to allow it to come to room temperature.
Put the strawberries in a dessert bowl and pour the remaining wine over it.
Add a whipped cream and ..... enjoy!
I wish you a Happy Valentine!
Roel Peters RP-Vinos USA
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