Smoothie

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green smoothie

Smoothies (from the English smooth , “smooth”, “smooth”, “soft”, freely translated as “soft juice” or “puree juice”) is an American name for cold mixed drinks made from fruit and optionally dairy products that are freshly prepared or are sold as finished products.

In contrast to fruit juices , the whole fruit, and sometimes the peel, is processed in smoothies. The basis of the smoothies is therefore the fruit pulp or fruit puree, which, depending on the recipe, is mixed with juices, water, milk, dairy products or coconut milk to achieve a creamy consistency.

There are different variations of smoothies. Some smoothies only consist of fruit, i.e. pulp and not-from- concentrate juices . The banana is often a basic ingredient. The so-called " green smoothies " consist of water, leafy vegetables or garden or wild herbs and ripe fruits. There are also smoothies made with yogurt , milk , ice cream , coconut milk or food supplements such as proteins , minerals or additional vitamins , which are particularly popular in the United States .

Use of terms

The word smoothie first appeared in a US dictionary in 1904, but with a completely different meaning. At that time it was used to describe a person who was either very eloquent or had particularly good manners. Some time later, the term was used by manufacturers as a name for very different products in various industries. As a name for a whole-fruit drink, the term was not popularized until the 1980s.

history

Originally, smoothies were offered in juice bars in the United States that had been there since the 1920s. The first juice bar chain was founded in 1929 by Julius Freed under the name "Orange Julius"; it consisted of about a hundred bars. Freed had 1,926 such bar in Los Angeles opened and a Orangensaftmixgetränk created, consisting of freshly squeezed juice, water, egg whites , vanilla extract, sugar was and ice and had a creamy consistency. In the 1960s, freshly squeezed fruit juice became a trendy drink among health-conscious dieters, especially vegetarians . Back then, so-called “health food restaurants” started offering smoothies made from fruit juice, fruit puree and ice cream. There were pioneers especially in California .

Stephen Kuhnau is regarded as a pioneer in smoothie marketing. In 1973 he opened a "health food shop" in New Orleans and began selling energy drinks and dietary supplements . Kuhnau said he suffered from food allergies and diabetes mellitus . He started mixing fresh fruits and various food additives to ease his symptoms. In 1987 he founded the Smoothie King franchise company with his wife Cindy . The Jamba Juice Company in California followed in 1990 . In the beginning smoothies were only available in juice bars, where they were freshly prepared. They are now available in many countries as a finished product in restaurants and retail outlets.

Food law aspect

Neither in Germany nor in the United States is there a food law definition of which drinks may and may not be designated as smoothies . In principle, all ingredients that are permitted under food law may be used. However, the consumer must not be misled. Fruits that appear in words or pictures on the label of a smoothie (on the front) must make up a “predominant” part of the product.

Web links

Commons : Smoothies  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Andrew F. Smith: Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America . Oxford 2004, p. 750 f .
  2. ^ Judgment of the Cologne Higher Regional Court of January 18, 2008
  3. ↑ Judgment of the Hamburg Regional Court of March 24, 2009 (file number 312 0 722/08)