Sprats are a well-known canned fish product. Sandwiches with this small smoked fish in oil can be served both on a holiday table and on an everyday one. Initially, this product was made from small sprat fish; today, under this name, Caspian sprat, herring, small young herring and other small fish are hidden in jars. In 2008, in the city of Mamonovo, where a large fish processing plant is located, a monument to sprats was even unveiled: a large bronze jar from which a fish jumps.
In order for the fish to become sprats, its length should not exceed 18 cm. Initially, the fish was prepared by hot smoking, then placed in a mixture of sunflower and mustard oils and preserved. Modern sprats are also prepared from fresh canned fish with the addition of “liquid smoke”.
How to choose the right sprats?
First of all, pay attention to compound, it should be extremely simple: fish, vegetable oil and salt. According to the standards, the amount of fish should be at least 75%. Shake the jar and listen to the sound; if the jar “squishes,” it means the manufacturer did not add fish to it, but he poured too much oil.
The color of the fish itself may be different, it depends on the smoking technology used, and does not affect the taste of the fish in any way. The smell should be pleasant and not pungent; a strong smell of smoke indicates a violation of the production process (in production, the canned food was simply filled with flavoring). Small, whole fish with a pleasant golden color, laid in even rows - these are the external signs of a quality product. Crushed fish, swollen skin, too pale a color indicate a violation of production processes.
Are sprats harmful?
Like any other smoked product, sprats contain carcinogens, which are formed by the substance benziprene. This substance is found both in sprats that were smoked in the traditional way, and in those prepared using “liquid smoke”. Frequent consumption of sprats contributes to the accumulation of carcinogens in the body, which, in turn, lead to the appearance of malignant tumors.
Interestingly, sprats prepared using liquid smoke contain significantly less benziprene - 1 mcg, while cold smoked sprats - 5 mcg, and hot smoked sprats - 8 mcg. harmful substance. In order for benziprene to be eliminated from the body faster, it is preferable to consume sprats with greens.
Carcinogens are found in all smoked products, so you shouldn’t think that sprats are the greatest of evils. They also have their own useful qualities. Despite the high calorie content, fatty sprats are healthy because... Most of the fats are polyunsaturated fats, which prevent the deposition of cholesterol and are necessary for normal brain function. Sprats are also useful for the prevention of osteoporosis - they contain a third of the daily requirement of calcium, as well as vitamin E, chromium, B vitamins, potassium, iron, phosphorus and zinc.
How to store?
An open jar should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than three days., outside the refrigerator for no more than three hours. A variety of snacks are prepared from sprat, pies are baked, added to salads and even soups are prepared.
Description
Sprats are canned fish, for the production of which small fish are first smoked and then preserved in oil. In this case, the fish must be tightly packed in the jars. The history of preparing sprats goes back more than 300 years, when merchants figured out how to add oil to smoked fish for better preservation. In our familiar form, they appeared with the promotion of factory-made canned food on the world market. Initially, they were prepared from only one type of fish - Baltic sprat. Nowadays, sprat, herring, juvenile herring, etc. are used to produce these canned foods. Nowadays, the word “sprats” means any canned fish made from smoked small fish in oil.
Ideally, the fish in the jar should be golden in color and not have multiple damages; the carcasses are whole, tightly packed, covered with oil, but not floating in it freely. The best canned goods are those produced on the Baltic coast. In general, any canned fish will be of high quality if it is produced in coastal areas, and not in central Russia, where the raw materials are delivered frozen, which does not have the best effect on the taste of the final product.
Sprats exist as an independent dish, which is used as a snack. Now you can find many recipes for sandwiches and salads using them. The main thing is to take into account that the taste of such fish is very bright and rich, so it is better to combine it with contrasting fresh or neutral flavors with minimal use of fat. A classic sandwich combination - sprats, black bread and a slice of cucumber.
The following products favorably highlight the taste of sprats: cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, beets, spinach, canned corn, eggplants, zucchini, cabbage, crab sticks, black olives, croutons, sour cream.
Various pates and mousses can be prepared from sprats. They are also recommended to be served as a main dish with a side dish of boiled beans, pasta, buckwheat, rice, potatoes and green peas. They can be used for fillings, such as deviled eggs. Now you can find recipes for open pies with sprats; snack cakes, pies and even pizza are made with them. There are recipes for soups from this fish and rolls. The basis of the dish is always experimentation, so feel free to try ready-made recipes and invent your own.
Unfortunately, many manufacturers do not smoke fish before preservation, but use so-called “liquid smoke”, which affects the usefulness of the product and its taste.
You can prepare sprats yourself, at home.
Beneficial featuresSprats are rich in nutrients. They are recommended to be eaten for osteoporosis and to slow down aging. Introducing them into the diet prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques. The high chromium content in the product helps prevent diabetes. Improves metabolism in the body, appearance of skin and hair.
HarmSprats should not be consumed constantly and in large quantities.
Sprats are contraindicated:
- for obesity;
- for problems with metabolism;
- for liver and kidney diseases;
- for hypertension;
- for gastrointestinal diseases;
- for diseases of the heart and vascular system;
- people prone to allergic reactions.
They should not be used by children, pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Composition and calorie contentSprats contain vitamins A, B1, B2 and PP. Minerals: manganese, chromium, fluorine, iron, copper, iodine, sulfur, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and chlorine.
Calorie content - 363 kcal per 100 g of product.
Sprats are canned fish from which you can cook anything. They are often used to make sandwiches, but not only. They turn out delicious, and in general, such a product as sprats is often used in everyday life. Because it is not so difficult to purchase them, and the cost is not high. But the question often arises: are sprats really safe? If there are prohibitions, then you need to know about them. This question requires a thorough explanation of all aspects of the importance of eating sprats.
But strangely enough, opinions about sprats vary and in many sources are simply contradictory. Therefore, when asking such a question, you need to look for answers from people who have an idea of what we are talking about. When a person has information, he can already know how to make choices and decide what is useful and what is not.
Is there any benefit to sprats?
The main advantage of consuming such products is their rapid absorption by the body; proteins are easily broken down and leave behind useful amino acids. Amino acids, in turn, regulate the proper functioning of the cardiovascular system, have a positive effect on the functioning of the brain, eliminate inflamed joints and the possibility of depression. That's why many people use sprats today. But these are not all the advantages that you have to pay attention to.
Sprats are fish that are placed in a tin jar, although today glass is also used for this. There is a small drawback to them, this is the difficulty of selecting the size, so you may come across different fish in size and origin. But this is not a big problem; in terms of taste, they do not change.
Sprats in oil contain the necessary groups of vitamins that are beneficial for the body, such as A, E and B, and minerals are also present, including calcium for strengthening bones and teeth. Due to all these components, the aging process is reduced. And many people strive for this. This product is sold in many stores and is not expensive, but there are benefits. Many people believe that sprats help prevent certain diseases, such as diabetes. But is everything so rosy? Everything is clear with benefit, it is present, but what can be said about prohibitions?
Harmful properties of sprats
You shouldn’t think that such canned food is mortally dangerous to health; there is definitely nothing unnecessary in them. Sprats in oil are not recommended for people suffering from allergic reactions, because this product can easily cause allergies even in a healthy person. But why can this happen? Everyone understands that sprats are a product that is smoked and as a result it contains some carcinogens.
They negatively affect some processes in the body and the functioning of organs, and also have the ability to accumulate. It is easy to understand that such a component will definitely not benefit anyone. It is believed that children should limit their consumption. Because their body is not yet fully formed and it has its own processes that should not be disrupted. Also, women who are breastfeeding should not consume sprats. The fact is that an allergic reaction in an infant can also be caused.
There are people who control their weight; in this case, you should not eat sprats, since you can definitely say that this is a high-calorie product. Therefore, the process of losing weight should not include sprats on the menu. Due to their fat content, they can become a difficult product to process for those who have stomach problems, such as gastritis, ulcers, etc. Today, many experts completely remove sprats from the menu of people who have any problems with the digestive system. Again, this is affected not only by the cooking process itself, but also by the presence of increased fat content.
There is also an opinion that keeping any product in iron cans can be dangerous. This means that when choosing sprat it is better to give preference to glass containers. Such jars are on sale today and their preparation technology is slightly different. This also has its advantage, you can see what kind of sprats are inside.
So, sprats are a product that is on store shelves today and is in active demand. Few people think about such indicators as benefit and harm. But it is clear that this is not always useful, and is not better for everyone. Also important is who the manufacturer of such a product is. Because there are many who want to save on production and use low-quality fish to create sprat.
Everyone understands that any product should be consumed in moderation. Therefore, if you don’t get too carried away with sprats and use them in moderation, then undoubtedly they will not cause any harm. At the same time, it’s good if it’s a high-quality release. All canned foods have their positive and negative sides. They must be known to the person so that he can independently decide whether to consume such a product.
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Sprats(Sprattus) is a small fish from the herring family, from which canned sprats were previously produced. Today, other fish are also used for these purposes: herring, Caspian sprat, sprat, anchovies, and juvenile herring. First, the fish is smoked and then preserved in oil. Sprats are eaten with bread, rice, potatoes, on sandwiches and in salads.
Natural sawdust is used to smoke the product. Many modern manufacturers use liquid smoke to give sprats the taste and appearance of a smoked product. Such sprats do not meet the taste qualities of a product smoked on sawdust, but they do not pose any harm. Liquid smoke is condensation from regular campfire smoke. All harmful substances are removed from such smoke, so there is no need to be afraid of it. Liquid smoke does not contain synthetic components and is a natural and harmless product.
Benefits of sprats
The benefits of any product are determined by the presence of vitamins, micro- and macroelements. Sprats, even canned ones, are considered nutritious and healthy. They contain calcium, vitamins D, E (TE), PP (niacin), macroelements Sodium, Phosphorus, Calcium, microelements Chromium, Iron, Fluorine, as well as polyunsaturated fats that strengthen the heart and vascular walls. However, sprats should not be consumed too often.
Harm and contraindications
During the smoking process, carcinogens are formed in sprats, the most harmful of which is benzopyrene, which promotes the formation of tumors. For this reason, it is not recommended to consume canned food regularly. Those who are watching their figure should not overuse sprats. Canned food contains a lot of oil and salt. Fatty, salty, smoked sprats can cause a serious blow to the liver.
Sprats are well-known canned fish with an amazing smell and taste, which many rate even higher than the taste of dry smoked fish.However, any scientist will say that sprats are one of many types of small marine fish that are suitable and used for canning.But, despite the play on words, in a jar of sprats there may not be sprats at all, but other small fish.
What are sprats made from?
Fortunately, the absence of sprats in canned food does not mean that there are chemical additives there. Canned food is always made from natural fresh fish with the addition of vegetable oil, salt and spices.Manufacturers place any small fish that is suitable in size into sprats. If the fish fits completely into the can, then it can rightfully be called “sprats”. It is not surprising that anchovies, sprat, herring and even small herring are often found in jars under the guise of sprat.If you examine the packaging of the sprats you buy, you will notice a note that there is another fish inside.
From the point of view of nutritional properties and composition, there is nothing wrong with replacing sprats with other fish. All small representatives of the aquatic world are similar to each other.If you want to taste canned sprats, then you are looking for Baltic brands. The Baltic Sea has a very large population of European sprat and there is no need for producers there to replace them with other fish species.Sprats are also found in the Black Sea, and therefore canned food produced in the Black Sea regions can be trusted. But canned sprat from the Caspian Sea is almost always sprat.
Most often, it is not even profitable for manufacturers to replace one type of fish with another, and therefore in most cases the name of the canned food corresponds to its filling.Recently, the production of canned fish has become more controlled. So, when buying sprats, there is a 90% chance that they will be in the jar.
Sprat production technology
To obtain canned sprat, you do not need huge industrial workshops and equipment. Small fish are washed in fresh water and the head is separated from it. It is sent to be smoked in special units using smoke, and then transferred to jars, which are filled with oil and spices. All packages are tightly closed and sent to stores.Often, the entire process of preparing sprat takes place on a ship on the open sea, since transporting the catch to the shore is a rather lengthy and expensive process, fraught with damage to the fish itself.
Many countries have abandoned smoke-based smoking and have chosen to use a special oil called “liquid smoke.” This composition gives the fish the same taste that it acquires during conventional smoking, but prevents the formation of benzopyrene, an aromatic hydrocarbon with carcinogenic properties.Liquid house is a concentrate of fire smoke from which substances hazardous to humans have been removed. therefore, there is no need to be afraid of sprats prepared with the addition of liquid smoke. The additive is harmless and completely natural, since it is produced without the use of synthetic components.But in Western Europe, fish still continues to be smoked over fire.
The benefits and harms of sprats
The benefits of sprats are quite noticeable for human health. Therefore, many doctors recommend using natural sprats.Sprat contains a large number of essential amino acids for humans. This means that sprats can replace all meat products in the diet for any period of time. In addition, canned fish are rich in vitamins. Among them: vitamin. All of them help to establish metabolic processes in the body, have a positive effect on vision and heart function.Since the fish is not subjected to special heat treatments, all useful components are included in the sprats in full.
The calorie content of sprats is 363 kcal per 100 grams. This amount is due to the presence of a large percentage of fats and proteins. However, people who are obese, prone to obesity, or those trying to lose weight are strictly prohibited from consuming such products. However, for those who engage in heavy physical labor, mental activity or sports, such a snack will help restore energy and strength.Sprat contains purine bases that appear after smoking fish. They make the product unsafe for people with gout.Sprats may also contain benzopyrene. There is a particularly large amount of this component in sprats produced in the European Union.And benzopyrene itself is one of the oncological agents. Therefore, if you choose sprats, then only from those countries that do not use this cooking method.
Sprats go best with fried potatoes, various fatty stews and bread. Such combinations are certainly not dietary, and therefore, in the form usual for most consumers, they are rather harmful, although not because of their properties, but because of the incorrect culture of their use.But for those who are trying to eat healthy and control the calorie content of their diet, it is recommended to eat sprats in combination with salads or eggs.The low price makes sprats a product accessible to everyone.
