At the
moment the Bircher muesli is very trendy and can be found on
the menu of every good breakfast restaurant. However, muesli actually has a really
long tradition.
What used
to be seen as a boring dish one would only eat when being on a diet is now
available in many different variations and reinterpreted on our breakfast
tables. This is not surprising at all, because the power breakfast does not
only taste good, but also gives you a lot of energy for your day.
During this blogpost you can find out everything about the muesli classic. We will explain to you why Bircher Muesli is so healthy, how it was created, how you can prepare it yourself at home and much more.
Did you
already know that Bircher muesli is made from only four ingredients and that it
was originally eaten for dinner? – The original Bircher muesli consists of oat
flakes, nuts and apples soaked in a little milk.
This simple
mixture was discovered more than 120 years ago by a Swiss doctor named
Maximilian Bircher-Benner. It is said that the oat dish was served to him by an
Alpine dairymaid.
Due to its healthy effect, Bircher-Benner then recommended it to his patients as diet food. He himself called the muesli creation simply apple diet food, or simply “d Spys”, which is Swiss and means as much as “the food”.
Bircher muesli past and present
However, in
the past the Bircher muesli was not eaten as breakfast like today. It was
enjoyed in the evening. Bircher-Benner wanted to give his patients an
understanding of a balanced diet with fresh fruit.
Today, the Bircher muesli is available in many different variations and flavours. Always reinterpreted, the food is becoming increasingly popular again and is often seen at the breakfast table as a muesli classic.
Why is it called Bircher Muesli?
Bircher Muesli
owes its name to its discoverer Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner. At that time, the
Swiss doctor was a pioneer in the field of wholefood nutrition. The focus of
this nutrition type is on fresh and untreated foods as well as foods made from
whole grains.
For him, as a representative of vegetarian raw food nutrition, the most important ingredient in muesli was not oat flakes, but the grated apples with peel and core.
Making Bircher muesli yourself
You can easily prepare the original Bircher muesli and the today’s trendy version yourself at home. Here you can find the traditional Bircher muesli recipe:
For
the Bircher muesli (4 portions) you need:
16 tbsp oat flakes
600 ml of milk
1 lemon
4 apples
4 tbsp grated hazelnuts
How to prepare the Bircher muesli
If you want
to make Bircher muesli, you actually have to start preparing the Bircher muesli
one day ahead. It is important that you soak the flakes overnight in a bowl of
water. It is best to put them into the fridge in order to keep them fresh. In
the morning you can take the oatmeal out of the fridge and stir in milk.
For the
original Bircher muesli you have to grate a whole apple with the seeds and the
core. You can also leave out the seeds if you like.
Now all you have to do is to mix the grated apples and hazelnuts with the pulp. Finally, add a dash of lemon juice and you can enjoy your self-made original Bircher muesli.
Toppings and variations
Of course,
you can also alter the recipe and add different kinds of nuts or fruits. Dried
fruit, shredded coconut or various seeds such as linseeds or chia seeds are
particularly suitable as toppings. Just try different varieties and decide what
you like best. You can also try having it with yoghurt or fruit juice instead
of milk.
For a vegan version of the Bircher muesli, simply exchange the milk with a plant-based alternative. You can easily make various plant drinks yourself, such as oat milk, almond milk or cashew milk. This also brings variation to your breakfast.
If you are
in a hurry or just have little time to prepare, you can also use ready-made
blends such as our Verival
Bircher Muesli with Heritage Grains. You can prepare it either cold or hot.
For a cold version, it’s best to mix it with some milk, yoghurt or curd cheese and fresh fruit. For a warm breakfast, simply boil the milk or water and let the muesli soak up the liquid for 10 minutes. You’re done! At Verival, the original Bircher muesli is also available as a porridge version.
Already the
Swiss inventor Maximilian Bircher-Benner was convinced of the fact that Bircher
muesli is healthy. But is the breakfast dish really as healthy as you think? –
Of course, that always depends on the ingredients you use for the muesli.
Let’s take a closer look at the basic ingredients such as oat flakes, apples and hazelnuts:
Oat flakes keep you full for a long time
Oats are
not only healthy, but are also celebrated as a real superfood nowadays. The oat
flakes give the Bircher Muesli its base. Due to its high dietary fibre content,
oats keep you satiated for a long time. This is why oat flakes are also
recommended for losing weight. As the hunger is satisfied for a particularly
long time, food cravings thus can be prevented.
Oat flakes
also help with digestive problems and lower our blood pressure and cholesterol
level. This effect derives from the beta-glucans contained in oats (a certain
type of fibre).
In addition, the consumption of oat flakes is said to reduce the risk of high blood pressure, fat metabolism disorders and heart disease. Oats are a cereal with a low gluten content and are therefore usually well tolerated by people with gluten intolerances.
Apples provide vitamins and energy
For a good
reason, there is the old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor
away”. In fact, the apple contains a number of healthy ingredients such as
fibre, important vitamins and minerals. Among others, apples contain the vitamins
A, B1, B2, B6, E and C. Most of them (around 70%) can be found in the skin, so
you should not peel them.
Moreover, the apple is also considered as a source of trace elements and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Like oatmeal, apples help our digestion and can lead to lower cholesterol levels. The fructose that is comprised in apples also quickly provides you with energy in the morning.
Hazelnuts increase your concentration
At first
glance, hazelnuts are true calorie bombs. But if you take a closer look, the
fats contained in the hazelnut turn out to be very healthy. These are
unsaturated fatty acids and they have a positive effect on our cardiovascular
system.
In addition, nuts are particularly rich in proteins. They are the perfect source of protein, especially for vegetarians and vegans. The contained lecithin also increases our memory power and concentration. Therefore, the hazelnut can be described as the perfect nourishment for our nerves and helps our brain to perform at its best in the morning.
How many calories does Bircher Muesli have?
It is not
easy to exactly state the amount of total calories of a Bircher muesli.
Depending on the ingredients that you use, the nutritional values contained in
your muesli will also change.
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