Sea buckthorn purée - from pure fruit

Sea buckthorn pulp with no added sugar, bright and sharply acidic

Sea buckthorn pulp is puréed sea buckthorn berry flesh, unsweetened and made of nothing but fruit; it contains naturally occurring sugar. It has the thin consistency of juice, is orange-yellow in color, and possesses an acidity that really makes an impression on the palate. For use with quark, panna cotta, and sorbet.

The sea buckthorn pulp from the Antonio Viani range consists of 100 percent sea buckthorn. It comes in a 290-gram jar and contains naturally occurring sugar—5 grams per 100 grams. The 2.3 grams of fat are notable, as sea buckthorn is one of the few fruits where the flesh itself contains oil, rather than just the seeds.

Oil in the fruit flesh, acidity without a detour

There is between three and five percent oil in the flesh of the sea buckthorn. This makes the pulp feel softer and rounder in the mouth than its sharp acidity would suggest.

Botanically, Hippophae rhamnoides is a member of the oleaster family, and the orange fruit is, strictly speaking, not a berry: the actual fruit is a nut sitting inside a fleshy floral cup. It ripens between August and October, when the branches almost disappear beneath the weight of the fruit.

The genus originated in the highlands of Tibet and spread from there across Eurasia. Today, sea buckthorn grows from the Pyrenees across the Alps to the Caucasus; in Germany, it is found primarily on the dunes of the North and Baltic Seas, where it withstands the wind in places where nothing else grows.

Six to eight years until the first harvest

Harvesting sea buckthorn is hard work. The branches are thorny, and the fruits burst when picked instead of detaching easily.

For this reason, in Germany, the fruit-bearing branches are cut off entirely, flash-frozen, and then the berries are shaken off while frozen. It takes six to eight years for a newly planted shrub to bear any fruit at all. Both of these factors explain why sea buckthorn has never been a cheap fruit.

Systematic cultivation in Germany is surprisingly recent: it began in 1980 with the first large plantation in Ludwigslust in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. One cannot speak of an ancient tradition regarding sea buckthorn, but one can certainly speak of a North German one.

It has always grown wild on the coasts, and anyone walking along a dune path in autumn will see the orange clusters glowing from afar. They sit so densely on the branch that one tends to strip them off rather than pick them, staining the fingers instantly.

For use with quark, panna cotta, and sorbet

In the jar, the pulp glows orange-yellow; in the mouth, the acidity hits first, followed by a tart, resinous note that makes sea buckthorn unmistakable. This is why it is called the "lemon of the North," referring solely to its acidity.

Its counterparts are milky and sweet flavors: in quark dishes and yogurt, over panna cotta, in mousse and sorbet, or as a layer beneath a cheesecake. The pulp is also the foundation for the sea buckthorn cake found on every coffee table along the North and Baltic Seas.

In savory dishes, it goes well with wild game and roast duck, and a spoonful perks up any salad dressing. The pulp contains naturally occurring sugar, but since there is no added sugar to balance it out, it is best to dose it carefully and taste as you go. A single teaspoon changes a cream noticeably. Keep the jar refrigerated after opening.

The range includes three other fruits: rose hip pulp, elderberry pulp, and quince, all in the same jar. The range was curated by Antonio Viani Importe, a family business that brings artisanal producers from Italy and Europe to German shelves. Find more under compote and preserves and in the collection Antonio Viani Importe. Bright, sharp, lively on the tongue.