Birch Beverages

摘要

Birch sap straight from the tree is a traditional and refreshing spring tonic, tasting somewhat like mineral water. In Finland, Korea, Japan, and the Ukraine, birch sap is a valued drink. It is sold commerically in Scandinavia, Russia, and China, andis used as a traditional medicine. The sap can be drunk as is, or used instead of water to make other beverages, such as tea. Uncondensed sap has from about .5 to 2 percent sugar content, averaging around one percent and depending on the birch variety, location, and weather. Even though this may not seem like much, it is higher than many other tree species. Maples produce sap with about 2 to 2.5 percent sugar content. Unlike maple sap sugar, which has a very high proportion of sucrose, birch sap's sugar is about 42-54 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose, with a small amount of sucrose and trace amount of galactose.