The rapeseed or "turnip" - scientific name Brassica napus var. oleifera - is a plant belonging to the family of brassicaceae/cruciferous which, from a botanical point of view, seems to be "in the middle" between the genus of cabbages and that of turnips.
Rapeseed oil in history
Rapeseed (and its oil) is a turnip known since ancient times; the Romans did not know its existence, while the Gauls (in central Europe) already made extensive use of it.
Some historical finds place the first cultivation of oil rape in the north of France (in the 13th-14th century); in the Middle Ages, rapeseed oil was already the subject of exchanges and sales by the "guild of oil manufacturers" and by that of the "speziale grocers".
Like many other types of oil (for example poppy seed oil), before the eighteenth century also that of rapeseed suffered great discrimination by the scientific community; only in 1774 with the publication and relative scientific denial of the French abbot Rozier, many of these "banned" oils were restored to the continental market.
From the 19th century onwards, rape was cultivated mainly in Eastern Europe where, for religious reasons (Orthodox church), during Lent, milk and butter were strictly prohibited for the benefit of rape oil.
Uses of rapeseed and rapeseed oil
Since the 18th century, rapeseed was considered an oil as well as a food emollient And resolving highly effective (Lémery - Pharmacopée Universelle); in the following century Roques and Cazin confirmed these properties by attributing to rapeseed oil also the peculiar function laxative.
In the 1900s, Fournier re-proposed its therapeutic usefulness both as an emollient and in the resolution of intestinal constipation through enemas, adding a "hypothetical preventive function against hepatic and renal colic. Moreover, it seems that the popular traditions (of which, however, the real reliability is not known) still pass on to drink a glass of rapeseed oil as a remedy for the viper bite.
Only the rapeseed can be used SEEDS; these, if taken in powder, are strongly diuretics And sweat (5g in a cup of lime tree twice a day), while mixed with honey (same dose) they can provide a certain emollient effect against cough and bronchitis.
For external use, by means of tampons, rapeseed oil is still used as a pro-healing agent in the treatment of wounds, while more generally it is useful (mixed with herbs) to resolve the friction of massages and manipulations against pain.
Food use and nutritional aspects of rapeseed oil
There is not much information on rapeseed oil as it is an "obsolete" food consumed only in small territorial realities for artisanal production (on the contrary, it is of greater interest for industrial soap production). In the kitchen, rapeseed oil lends itself to the preparation of dishes that require a good seal (due to the greater binding and emulsifying capacity compared to other oils) and is also very storable compared to those equally rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA); NB. despite being rich in omega3, some argue that rapeseed oil is very suitable for frying, thanks to its greasy and viscous consistency.
In any case, what is certain is that rapeseed oil represents a veritable mine of PUFA 18: 3 and its concentrations are almost comparable to those of linseed oil.
Bibliography:
- Encyclopedia Of Health Plants - G. Debuigne - Gremese Editore - pag. 196
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