Food Lens · Produce
Rhubarb
Sharply tart and slightly fruity, needing added sugar to be palatable.
Lens analyzedRhubarb is a tart, celery-like stalk vegetable almost always cooked with sugar and treated like a fruit, most familiar in strawberry-rhubarb pie. Only the stalks are used in cooking; the broad leaves are trimmed away and discarded before the stalks are prepped.
Where it comes from
Rhubarb was first cultivated in Asia and later carried to Europe, where growers began raising it specifically for its stalks. It became especially popular in British and North American baking once sugar was cheap enough to balance its natural tartness.
Buying it
Look for firm, crisp stalks in a deep pink to red color; limp or rubbery stalks have started to dry out.
Storing it
Refrigerate stalks wrapped loosely and use within about a week, since rhubarb loses its crispness fairly fast.
Keeps about 7 days in the fridge.
In season
Peak season is April–June.
Fresh rhubarb is mostly a spring to early summer item in much of North America.
Recipes that use rhubarb
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