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Monday, May 12, 2014

WHAT IS SHAHTOOT? PAKISTANI OR HIMALAYAN MULBERRY: USES AND HOW TO MAKE SHERBAT SHAHTOOT


SHAHTOOT, PAKISTANI OR HIMALAYAN MULBERRIES, (MORUS MACROURA OR SERRATA)
The Shahtoot tree gets its name from Farsi and means King Mulberry. The fruits of the tree may be black, white or red, and were often complained about by the elderly because the falling fruit would stain their courtyards. Children who wanted the fruit were encouraged to clean up the mess it created in return for their healthy harvest. Birds love the mulberry as much as children and the large shahtoots are highly valued, for their surprisingly fine flavour. It can grow to 5 or 6 inches long and has been compared to a long caterpillar. They actually taste a little sweeter than ordinary mulberries which also grow along with shahtoots.
In the Punjab there used to be a cottage industry built around the shahtoot trees which used to grow near village wells and in fields. Not only were they good for shade in hot summers but the villagers also wove baskets from the tree bark; the larger ones were known as “tokra” and the smaller ones “tokri.” Because the wood from the tree is so flexible children used to make bows and arrows from it and play with them. The trees grew so widely that they were mentioned in folk songs, becoming part of folklore. Now they are a rare sight in Punjab, but there are hopes that they will return, as part of the sericulture program which may run in the province if the government give more help and guidance to villagers who would willingly farm silkworms and make silk for the textile industry if only they knew how to go about it.
Shahtoots are good for health too and have the same benefits as othermulberries, being rich in antioxidants; flavonoids and what researchers believe are anti-cancer agents.

In Iran these shahtoots are sold dried and reconstituted for cookery and medicine. They are certainly superfruits that have been known in this part of the world for thousands of years. In the West people are just beginning to realize the benefits of mulberries, and have recently taken to growing the Shahtoot mulberry trees.
You need to wash shahtoot well and use our mulberry syrup recipe with ice cream. The tea can also be made with shahtoot, but use less sugar.

SHERBAT SHAHTOOT
Ingredients
1 kg. black shahtoot
1 kg water
2 kg sugar

Method
Extract the juice from the shahtoot and strain into a pan. Mix well with the water and add the sugar. Bring to the boil and them lower the heat and stir until it has the consistency of a concentrated cordial or squash.
Remove from the heat. Allow to cool and pour into glass bottles.
When you want a glass, put 3 tbsps of the concentrate into a glass and add water.
This is especially good for sore throats and tonsillitis and for coughs and colds.
This has Taste and is a Treat.

Shahtoot - King White Mulberry


Shahtoot is a new multi-purpose tree for Australia. It is a popular hybrid species in Pakistan and the Middle East because it is an attractive fruiting tree which is easy to grow and maintain. The large non-staining fruit is very sweet and nutritious. At around 30% sugar when fully ripe, Shahtoot is much sweeter than the English black mulberry. Being white and essentially seedless avoids the messy staining associated with other mulberries. Fruiting occurs from October through to December, and commences the first season from planting.
Growth Habits

Shahtoot is a vigorous growing deciduous tree to 10 m. It forms a dense crown with pendulous branches and makes an attractive spreading shade tree, especially when 'pinched out' to the desired shape.

The leaves are semi-lobed and vary from lime green on the new flush to dark green when mature. It is the branching nature ofShahtoot to grow 'out' rather then 'up' which sets it apart from other mulberries as an excellent garden specimen tree.

Where to Plant

Shahtoot is renowned for its hardiness. It withstands extremes of heat and cold, allowing it to thrive in Australia from the arid interior and tropical north through to the cold temperate south of the continent. In Pakistan it is cultivated to 3050 m ( 10, 000 feet).

Shahtoot is grafted onto vigorous seedling rootstock, making it a deep rooted tree which grows rapidly given adequate moisture and nutrients (3.5m in 12 months). However Shahtoot will also survive drought conditions making it an excellent shade tree for sheep and cattle-yards where it can be topped for fodder. In foul yards, chickens thrive on fallen fruit and benefit from the summer shade and winter sun that Shahtoot, being deciduous, provides. Shahtoot has excellent fire retardant capabilities.

Most soils are suitable for Shahtoot including heavy clay types. This adaptability makes Shahtootexcellent as a street tree and suited to all sunny garden situations as well as 'problem' landscaping sites like hot courtyards or concreted car-parks.

Tree Care and Pruning

Shahtoot is easy to establish and maintain. No sprays are needed since there are no known pests or diseases which attack the leaves or fruit, other than fruit eating birds.

Shahtoot responds to applied water and nutrients with rapid growth yet survives minimum care conditions equally well.

To obtain maximum branching on young trees it is preferable to 'pinch out' the terminal growth tips between thumb and forefinger when branches reach 1/2 to 1m length. Shahtoot can be pruned during winter dormancy with each lateral cut by approximately half. This also facilitates branches and maintains Shahtoot to a manageable size.


Uses:

Fruit: Shahtoot fruit can be eaten at half green stage when they are crisp and semi-sweet, or left until fully ripe when they turn white in colour and obtain maximum sweetness. Fruit falls to the ground at the white stage, which is assisted by shaking the tree.

Shahtoot fruit is excellent eaten fresh, its sweetness provides an ideal contrast to other foods in salads and sambals or on a cheeseplatter. Shahtoot makes a novel garnish to many dishes. In Pakistan Shahtoot is often dried and used as a source of sugar.

Analysis (fresh weight) * Fructose 14%; Glucose 13.1%; Sucrose 1.1%; other carbohydrates 1.8%; Vitamin C 10 mg/100 gm *(Aust. Govt. Anal. Lab.)

Tree - Other Uses: Shahtoot leaves are unparalleled for rearing silkworms. Shahtoot wood is hard, suitable for tuning and carving, especially for hockey sticks, cricket bats and stumps.

* Information from the Macbird Shahtoot Leaflet: The Shahtoot King White Mulberry Story

(Just for sharing article -Mulberrymalaysia.blogspot.com )

Shahtoot Mulberry has Health and Economic Benefits in Pakistan


Shahtoot mulberries are the fruit of the Himalayan or Pakistan mulberry tree; Morusserrata or Morus macroura. They are found at an altitude of between 1200 and 1700 feet in the Himalayan region. They differ from other mulberries because of their size, as they are elongated and can be five or even six inches long. They look like fat caterpillars at first glance. The name Shahtoot comes from the Farsi, meaning King of the Mulberries (toot being the name for mulberry in Farsi and Urdu). One Indian journalist, Dinesh Dhuman, has praised the Pakistani Shahtoot, writing that the mulberry has been “perfected in Pakistan.”

The shahtoot mulberry is sweeter tasting and longer than other mulberries. It can be red, black or white, has many health benefits and is making a comeback.

Health Benefits of Shahtoot Mulberries

All mulberries contain resveratol which is believed to prevent cancer. It may also protect the cardiovascular system and can alleviate chronic inflammation and postpone the onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. It is also considered to be an antiviral.

In traditional medicine the Shahtoot has been used to treat various diseases including asthma, bronchitis, diarrhea, hypertension, insomnia and melancholy. They are considered “happy” fruits in the Punjab province of Pakistan. As they contain niacin and riboflavin, perhaps this is not surprising.

They also contain high levels of potassium which is an energy booster, repairs cell damage, and stimulates the immune system. So the fruit is packed with substances which help our overall health.

The young leaves are used as a boiled vegetable and used in tisanes and these also contain potassium, phosphorous and calcium. These act as a diuretic and help flush toxins out of the body. They can be blended with green tea for a more palatable taste.
The Tree is a Part of Traditional Punjabi Culture

Unfortunately the mulberry trees in the Punjab have been depleted by a fungal disease and many were felled for fuel and to construct new roads and housing developments. A mulberry tree used to be beside almost all village wells and in fields, providing welcome shade for the labourers.

In previous times in the not so distant past, baskets would be woven from the bark and wood of the Shahtoot trees (tokra, the large baskets and tokri the smaller ones). However this ancient craft has died out in most regions. Small children would make bows and arrows from the flexible wood of the trees too, but they can no longer do this and plastic guns have taken the place of the traditional toys.

They are mentioned in folk songs in much the same manner as the British nursery rhyme about mulberry trees, “Here we go round the Mulberry Bush.”
Moves to Reintroduce Mulberry Trees

Pakistan’s Sericulture Wing of the Punjab Forest Department is hoping to reintroduce mulberry trees, including the white shahtoot, and a newly discovered mulberry bush-sized plant, to the region in an attempt to promote sericulture (silk worm farming) in rural areas. Currently Pakistan imports silk for use in its textile industry, so home produced silk would not only help the rural poor in the Punjab, but would also help the manufacturers.

People are eager to participate in the project, but are waiting for government help and guidelines. The Forest Department hope that soon more people will be able to make a living farming silk worms.

References

6th January 2010, “Cottage Industry can Employ 25% of Rural Population” The Nation, (daily English newspaper, Lahore, Pakistan)

Mushtaq Ahmed, et al., “Treatment of Common Ailments by Plant-Based Remedies Among the People of District Attock (Punjab) of Northern Pakistan” African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines Vol 4; 1; 2007 pp112-20

Dinesh Dhuman, 6th September 2010, “The Withering Tradition of Punjabi Basket Weaving” News, UKPHA org. (Accessed 10/11/2010)