For a long time it seemed there was no place for vegetables on the barbecue. Maybe as a side dish, or in a salad, but that was it. But the tide seems to be turning slowly. Even barbecue king Julius Jaspers is switching from large chunks of meat to vegetables on the barbecue. "Because," says Jaspers, "it is healthier, lighter and more contemporary."
Trendy vegetables
Jaspers' changed grilling behaviour does not just come out of the blue. The trend watchers predicted at the beginning of this year that vegetables are the new must-have on the barbecue if you want to be moving with the times. For example, food trend watcher Anneke Ammerlaan said in an interview with the AD newspaper: "We have been throwing vegetables on the barbecue for a number of years, but this year we will see a much wider variety of vegetables. In addition to the bell pepper and aubergine, we are going to see vegetables such as fennel, artichoke and beets on the grills this summer." We still want salads as a side dish, but preferably one that comes completely from the barbecue.
More inspiration available
More and more cookbooks are also appearing on the market with vegetables on the barbecue as their theme. These books provide virtually endless inspiration for healthy alternatives to the standard meat package. A quick search on the internet gives you the choice of a wide variety of titles: from Glowing Green to Green on Coal. BBQ Smaakmakers is taking a different approach and is challenging consumers to get started with aubergine on the barbecue this summer (#BBQSmaakmakers). Information platform Veggipedia helps consumers with a list of surprising BBQ-able vegetables.
Discover new flavours
Vegetables (and fruit) not only add colour to your barbecue, but also extra flavour. Due to the high temperature of the glowing coals, taste changes occur in the vegetables. Vegetables contain natural sugars that caramelise due to heating. That gives a whole new, complex, slightly sweet taste.
Is it healthier?
Vegetables are always healthy, whether eaten raw or grilled. The advantage of grilling vegetables over cooking vegetables is that they retain more vitamins. Cooking leads to some vitamin loss because many vitamins from vegetables dissolve in water. That does not happen with grilling. It is also better to cut vegetables as little as possible before putting them on the barbecue. This way they lose less of their moisture, which contains the vitamins and minerals.
Source: NAGF