Hawthorn Ketchup
Being something of a ketchup fiend, I felt it appropriate to embrace the autumn with a spicy haw ketchup. What better way to add zing to a hearty meal whilst keeping the heart in good order at the same time! The species in question being Crataegus monogyna; a species of hawthorn which is ubiquitous throughout the British Isles as well as in our folklore and country practices. A pleasing sight indeed are the clouds of blossom lining the winding lanes in Spring and how heart-warming it can be on a chilly Autumn afternoon to see the radiant red berries cast against an azure sky.
What’s in a name?
So, what’s in a name? As mentioned, the binomial name is Crataegus monogyna. A look into the etymology shows that Crataegus is taken from the Greek word ‘κρατος’ (kratos) meaning strength, with numerous sources relating it to the strength of the wood; however, Linnaeus lists Crataegus under the heading ‘Obscure GREEK names remain in use, however great the difficulty in eliciting them, even if, once elicited, they are still doubtful’ which may cast some doubt as to the origin or meaning. Monogyna refers to the fruit and is broken down into ‘mono’ meaning ‘single’ and ‘gyna’ meaning ‘pistil’ – the female reproductive part of a flower comprising the stigma, style and ovary (Freer, 2003). Monogyna has also been translated as ‘single seed’. Further explorations show that the genus Crataegus was devised by the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort c. 1700 (who is often identified as being the first taxonomist to make a clear definition of the concept of genus for plants); however, Linnaeus is credited with the valid publication of the genus (Crataegus Tourn. ex L.) which may shed some light on his classifying it as an ‘obscure Greek name’ dependent on Tournefort’s original naming. Further research into Pitton de Tournefort’s work is yet to shed light on the origin due to my lack of understanding of French and Latin(!) and my current inability to find translated copies of ‘Eléments de botanique, ou Méthode pour reconnaître les Plantes’ or ‘Institutiones rei herbariae’ – neither contained ‘crataegus’ or ‘aubépine’ (French for hawthorn) in the index. ‘Crataegus monogyna’ is credited to Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin who was a Dutch scientist of medicine, chemistry and botany.
A brief exploration into the name ‘hawthorn’ links to the early usage of the plant in hedging as ‘haw’ translates as ‘hedge’ in old English. Furthermore, ‘hagedorn’ is the German for hawthorn which derives from ‘hac’ (hedge or enclosure) and ‘dorn’ (thorn), thus ‘hedgethorn’ (Kumar, et al., 2012) and also in Dutch ‘hagedoorn’ (Fluiter, 1934). Humankind’s similar utilisation of natural resources, historical migrations, and the evolution of language reveal parallels in botanical nomenclature as is evident with hawthorn. In addition, common names for hawthorn also include ‘hag bush’ and ‘hagthorn’ which strengthen its old-world link to the hedge.
Common names of hawthorn are numerous so I’ll just give a small selection: bread and cheese, faerie thorn, hag bush, hagthorn, huath, mother-die, may bush / tree / flower, quick thorn, whitethorn, skayug and tree of chastity.
Here are some common names for the berries: aggle, bird’s eegle, chaw, cuckoo’s beads, eglet, haggil, heethen berry, harsy, heg-peg, hog-haw, may fruit, pig-haw, pixie pears.
In the kitchen
Hawthorn as food can be enjoyed over the course of the year in the form of foliage, flower and fruit. The fresh young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and are delicious in salads and sandwiches. The leaves can also be savoured as a tea. The flowers can be eaten raw or cooked and are best when in bud or just opening. They can be used in salads, tea or a range of deserts including mayblossom sorbet, syrup and ice-cream. The flowers have also been documented in a 15th century pudding recipe – ‘Flowrys of hawthorn’. The berries are extremely versatile and can be used for, but by no means exclusively, jelly, ketchup, chutney, fruit leather and tea. Hawthorn can also be enjoyed as alcohol in the form of berry wine and flower liqueur.
Additionally, hawthorn is consumed further afield in countries such as Portugal and Spain where the berries are consumed raw by children, hunters and shepherds (Carvalho, 2005; Tardio et al., 2006). In Slovakia, hawthorn (unspecified part) has been used as a bread ingredient and the berries were eaten by children as a snack (Luczaj, 2012). In Albania, the fruit is consumed raw as a snack (Pieroni et al., 2015). Hawthorn leaves and fruit are gathered in Cyprus and can be bought from local markets and are used as a condiment, as a raw salad green or as a cooked ingredient. The fruits are also eaten raw as a desert and are used in preserves such as jams and marmalades (Della et al., 2006). In Mexico, hawthorn is called ‘tejocote’ which is derived from the Nahuatl word ‘Texocotl’ which translates as ‘acid fruitstone’. Tejocote berries have traditionally been used in the All Saints and Christmas celebrations as an ingredient of the traditional hot fruit punch, ‘ponche’. Tejocote fruits are also processed to make jellies, marmalades, syrups and traditional sweets. (Núñez-Colín and Sánchez-Vidaña, 2011). In China, hawthorn fruit is eaten as a wild food and used to make commercial products such as wine, jam, and confectionary (Chang et al., 2002).
Nutritionally, hawthorn fruit has been found to be rich in vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, triterpenoids (cardio-protective and antioxidant), fruit acids and sugar alcohols (Attard and Attard, 2019).
In the apothecary
Hawthorn has been used as a medicine throughout the ages as documented by Dioscorides (c. 60 CE) and later Paracelsus (c. 1530) who indicated the now widely accepted use of its treatment for heart conditions. References from the middle ages focus on its use for treating nervous conditions. Other folk uses include leaf infusions which were used for insomnia and decoctions of the flowers which were prescribed for treating acne, facial blemishes and gout (Phillips, 2012). Culpeper (1653) largely refers to use of the powdered seeds mixed with wine as a remedy for dropsy (swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of excess water) and, with boiled wine, reported that it is ‘good for inward tormenting pains’ (p.90). However, it is now known that the stones of Crataegus species contain cyanide and, although can be utilised through pharmaceutical practices, can be deadly if eaten so are to be avoided. Culpeper also documents its use as a remedy to draw out thorns and splinters using distilled water from the flowers and states that ‘it will notably draw them forth’ (1653, p. 90).
Current herbal medicinal practices use a variety of methods of accessing and dispensing the healing compounds in hawthorn including fruit leather, syrup and tinctures as documented by herbal medicine practitioners Bruton-Seal and Seal (2008). The berries used in a syrup and the flowers, leaves and berries used in a tincture can be taken for hardening of the arteries, abnormal blood pressure, mild angina, palpitations, anxiety and as a heart tonic. The berries as a fruit leather can be used as a heart tonic and circulatory tonic.
A review of recent research papers made similar findings which show that hawthorn contains compounds which ‘are reported to have many pharmacological effects, including neuroprotective (recovery or regeneration of the nervous system), hepatoprotective (the ability to prevent damage to the liver), cardioprotective (serving to protect the heart especially from heart disease) and nephroprotective (preservation of kidney function) (Nabavi, 2015). The bioactive compounds which produce these effects include epicatechin, hyperoside and chlorogenic acid (Sallabanks, 1992; Özcan et al., 2005; Barros et al., 2011). Hawthorn fruit has also been found to possess potent antioxidants, flavonoids and free radical scavenging activity (Parzhanova et al., 2018). Parzhanova et al. (2018, p. 1808) go on to state that ‘… the flowers of common hawthorn were evaluated as rich sources of polyphenols and carotenoids [and] demonstrated high antioxidant potentials’. This particular study found the flowers to be six times more potent than the berries. Medicinal discoveries as documented by Kew (Simmonds et al., 2016, p. 64) report that hawthorn has ‘been shown to increase the force of contraction of the heart, whilst slowing the rate’. There is also evidence showing that it improves circulation to the tissues of the heart and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease’.
Globally, hawthorn has been recognised as a healing herb with elixirs being made from the flowers, fruit and bark in Germany and Kosovo where they are used as antispasmodics and for their effects on the heart and circulatory system (Mustafa et al., 2012). The berries are used for cardiovascular conditions in countries including Serbia (Jarić et al., 2007), India (Kumar et al., 2009) and Iran (Baharvand-Ahmadi et al., 2016). In Albania, the leaves and berries are infused as a tea for coughs, fatigue and recreational headaches (Pieroni et al., 2015). A decoction of the fruits are used to treat kidney stones in Turkey (Tuzlacı and Aymaz, 2001). In Greece, hawthorn is used to treat heart conditions and is found to be analgesic (pain relieving), antispasmodic (used to relieve spasm of involuntary muscle) and a sedative (Vokou et al., 1993).
In the library
Hawthorn is drenched in folklore, at times in contradiction, and has asserted influence and received reverence over time and space. Hawthorn has been strongly linked to a range of goddesses including the Earth Mother goddess, Maia, for whom the month May was named and who was the oldest of the seven Pleiades, daughters of Atlas and the sea nymph Pleione. Her month was a time of purification in which folk would ready themselves for the summer rites; a period of cleansing and chastity. Conversely, hawthorn, in particular the flowers, is also a traditional symbol of love, fertility and betrothals and hawthorn blossom would be a feature of a bride’s bouquet. However, rather than to be seen as contradiction, hawthorn could represent an overseer of the transition from maiden to mother. Hawthorn is also connected to the goddess Cardea from Roman mythology who was associated with family, household and threshold protection; however, as seen in early British folklore, taking hawthorn into the house was thought to cause misfortune for those who reside there and has been believed to, in the worst case, cause the death of a mother or child and taking on the common name ‘mother die’. Hawthorn is also linked to the Welsh Spring goddess Blodeuwedd (conjured by the sorcerer Gywdion to be married to Llew-Llaw Grywffes, the son of the sun goddess Arianrhod); she was created from nine Spring flowers and is represented at Spring festivals by the Queens of the May who adorn themselves with flowers. Hawthorn is also a traditional wood used for maypoles which are the central feature of Spring dances. In Norse mythology, hawthorn was created by Thor using a single bolt of lightning. The burning bush in Judaeo-Christian mythology was said to be a hawthorn, specifically the species Crataegus pyracantha, and was the device god used on Mount Horeb to speak to Moses. Also, in Judaeo-Christian legend, the species Crataegus albespye was believed to be used for Christ’s crown of thorns (Phillips, 2012).
Spicy haw ketchup recipe
Equipment:
Pan; bowl; sieve; metal spoon; weighing scales; measuring jug; sterilised glass jars.
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
500 grams haws
2 chilli peppers
330 ml filtered water
330 ml cider vinegar
250 grams dark brown sugar
Ground Alexanders seeds as a seasoning (use a similar amount as you would with when using black pepper as seasoning)
Instructions:
1. Remove the stems from the haws and rinse them.
2. Finely chop the chilli peppers.
3. Pour the vinegar and water into a pan and add the berries and chilli and simmer for around 20 minutes or until the berry flesh has softened.
4. Strain the liquid into a clean pan and push the berry flesh through a sieve to remove the pulp from the stone – using the back of a spoon in a scraping motion works well.
5. Add the pulp to the pan with vinegar and water and add the sugar and ground Alexanders seeds.
6. Add the sugar, bring to boil and then simmer until the sauce is reduced to your ideal consistency. I went for quite a thick sticky sauce.
7. Transfer the sauce into a sterilised jar and store in a dark cupboard.
8. Enjoy!
The sauce had a sweet fruity flavour with a nice spicy kick and was well received by willing taste testers! The sauce went particularly well with some Devonshire four wild-nut burgers – the recipe for those to be released at a future date!
References
Attard, E, and Attard, H. (2019) ‘Hawthorn: Crataegus oxyacantha, Crataegus monogyna and related species’, in Nabavi, S, and Silva, A. (eds.) Nonvitamin and Nonmineral Nutrtional Supplements. London, Academic Press.
Baharvand-Ahmadi, B., Bahmani, M., Eftekhari, Z., Jelodari, M. and Mirhoseini, M. (2016) Overview of medicinal plants used for cardiovascular system disorders and diseases in ethnobotany of different areas in Iran, Journal of HerbMed and Pharmacology, 5, pp. 39–44.
Barros L., Carvalho, A. and Ferreira, I. (2011) Comparing the composition and bioactivity of crataegus monogyna flowers and fruits used in folk medicine, Phytochemical Analysis, 22, pp. 181–188.
Bruton-Seal, J. and Seal, M. (2008) Hedgerow Medicine. Ludlow, Merlin Unwin Books.
Carvalho, A. (2005) Etnobotânica do Parque Natural de Montesinho: Plantas, tradição e saber popular num território do nordeste português. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Chang, Q., Zuo, Z., Harrison, F. and Chow, M. (2002) Hawthorn, Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 42, pp. 605–612.
Della, A., Paraskeva-Hadjichambi, D. and Hadjichambis, A.C. (2006) An ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants of Paphos and Larnaca countryside of Cyprus, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 2(34), pp. 1-9.
Fluiter, J. (1934) OverNygmia phaeorrhoea donovan, den bastaardsatijnvlinder, en de factoren, welke tijdens de winterrust de getalsterkte van dit insect decimeeren, Tijdschrift Over Plantenziekten, 40(1), pp. 1–35
Freer, S. (2003) Linnaeus’ Philosophia Botanica. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Jarić, S., Popović, Z., Mačukanović-Jocić, M., Djurdjević, L., Mijatović, M., Karadžić, B., Mitrović, M., Pavlović, P. (2007) An ethnobotanical study on the usage of wild medicinal herbs from Kopaonik Mountain (Central Serbia), Journal of Ethnopharmacoly, 111, pp. 160–175.
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Kumar, D., Arya, V., Bhat, Z., Khan, N. and Prasad, D. (2012) The genus Crataegus: chemical and pharmacological perspectives, Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy, 22(5), pp. 1187-1200,
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Mustafa, B., Hajdari, A., Krasniqi, F., Hoxha, E., Ademi, H., Quave, C.L. and Pieroni, A. (2012) Medical ethnobotany of the Albanian Alps in Kosovo, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 8(6).
Nabavi S., Habtemariam, S., Ahmed, T,. Sureda, A. and Daglia, M., Sobarzo-Sánchez E. and Nabavi, S. (2015) Polyphenolic composition of Crataegus monogyna Jacq.: From chemistry to medical applications. Nutrients, 7, pp. 7708–7728.
Núñez-Colín, C. and Sánchez-Vidaña, D. (2011) Ethnobotanical, Cultural, and Agricultural Uses of Tejocote (Crataegus species) in Mexico. Acta horticulturae, 918, pp. 901-910
Özcan, M., Hacseferogullar, H., Marakoglu, T. and Arslan, D. (2005) Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) fruit: Some physical and chemicalproperties, Journal of Food Engineering, 69, pp. 409–413.
Parzhanova, A., Petkova, N., Ivanov, I. and Ivanova, S. (2018) Evaluation of Biologically Active Substance and Antioxidant Potential of Medicinal Plants Extracts for Food and Cosmetic Purposes, Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 10 (7), pp. 1804-1809.
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Pieroni, A., Ibraliu, A., Abbasi, A.M. and Papajani-Toska, V. (2015) An ethnobotanical study among Albanians and Aromanians living in the Rraicë and Mokra areas of Eastern Albania, Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 62, pp. 477–500.
Sallabanks, R. (1992) Fruit fate, frugivory, and fruit characteristics: A study of the hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna (Rosaceae), Oecologia, 91, pp. 296–304.
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Tuzlacı, E. and Aymaz, P. (2001) Turkish folk medicinal plants, Part IV: Gonen (Balıkesir), Fitoterapia, 72, pp. 323-343.
Vokou, D., Katradi, K. and Kokkini, S. (1993) Ethnobotanical survey of Zagori (Epirus, Greece), a renowned centre of folk medicine in the past, Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 39(1993), pp. I87- 196.