Peach Lemongrass by Alpe Pragas, soft and green
The Peach Lemongrass fruit spread by Alpe Pragas brings a spice from Southeast Asian cuisine to Alpine stone fruit. The peach remains sunny and soft, the lemongrass adds a grassy, fresh thread, and the fruit glows golden yellow in the 335-gram jar.
Peach Lemongrass is a fruit spread from Alpe Pragas in the South Tyrolean Braies Valley, labeled as Pescus & Lemongras. The lion's share is peach, combined with sugar, lemon juice, and one percent lemongrass, thickened with apple pectin.
Lemongrass, a sweet grass from Southeast Asia
Botanically, lemongrass is a sweet grass, making it more closely related to wheat than to the lemon.
It owes its tone to citral, the same aromatic compound found in the zest of citrus fruits. This is why it tastes lemony without introducing its own acidity, and that is exactly what makes it suitable for a sweet spread. The grass grows in dense clumps; the lower, fleshy part of the stalk, where the oil resides, is what gets harvested.
In Thailand and Vietnam, it is used in soups and curries, where the tough stalks are simmered and then removed before serving. At Alpe Pragas, only the aroma remains, finely distributed throughout the fruit.
Soft from the peach, green from the grass
When you open it, the peach comes through first, sweet and round, followed by a grassy, fresh trail.
On bread, the stone fruit remains the primary voice—soft, juicy, and summery. The lemongrass only asserts itself afterward, cool and slightly exotic, preventing the sweetness from becoming cloying.
The spread glows golden yellow in the jar, is easy to spread, and contains fine pieces of fruit. Anyone trying this combination for the first time will need two bites, after which the appeal becomes clear. A thin layer is enough on a slice, because the grass unfolds its effect long after the fruit has passed.
On bread, with shrimp, in iced tea
In the morning, the spread is perfect on white bread, in muesli, and over thin crêpes.
Its second life begins at the stove. It serves as a glaze for grilled shrimp and chicken; stirred into coconut milk, it gives a curry a fruity edge; and with a little lime and fish sauce, it becomes a dip for raw vegetables.
A spoonful stirred into cold tea creates an iced tea with a southern flair, and alongside mild cream cheese, it serves as a sweet-tart accompaniment on a board. Spooned over vanilla ice cream, it turns into a dessert that feels lighter in the height of summer than any chocolate sauce.
Keep the spoon dry and refrigerate the jar after opening, and the green aroma will remain as clear as it was at the beginning.
The variety for your summer pantry
Among the company's varieties, this one travels the furthest, from the stone fruit of the Alps to the kitchens of Southeast Asia.
On the shelf next to the berries, it feels like an excursion, and in summer, that is exactly what a breakfast table needs. A jar of this also works well as a gift, because hardly anyone is familiar with the combination yet.
The peach on its own can be found in the Peach Fruit Spread. All other varieties are in the Alpe Pragas Fruit Spreads collection, and anyone looking for more from the Dolomites will find it in the Alpe Pragas assortment.
