What is Mugolio?
Mugolio is a kind of syrup originally made from Mugo Pine (vuorimäntyjä mugo) through the fermentation of cones with sugar or other sweeteners. It is sweet, runny, dark and balsamic, even though it can change color, flavour and texture depending on which sweetener and cone is used. It has medicinal properties that act mainly on the respiratory system.
Preparation of mugolio:
1.Pick young cones
2.Mix them with sugar in a jar
3.Wait at least 3 months
4.Strain the solution
5.Store it
6.Main uses
- Pick young cones:
You want to pick the cones as young and small as possible. In that state they conserve the maximum of their flavour. Regarding my experience, cones picked in front of the sea side are the ones that develop a smoother and less tanninic flavour. Anyways, always pick your cones far from the road and sources of pollution.
- Mix them with sugar in a jar:
I used a glass jar with an airtight closure (that we will keep open for the first 7 days for the strong initial fermentation).
The ratio between cones and sugar/sweetner has to be 1:1. More sugar than cones will lead to a saturation of the solution and the separation between liquid and sugar crystals.
Mix the content of the jar every day for the first ten days and once a week for the next 3-4 months.
- Wait at least 3 months:
Mugolio needs weeks to ripe and ferment properly, an over-fermentation thought can lead to a too strong flavour of yeasts and sourness, not always pleasant. I personally ferment them for four to six months.
- Strain the solution:
Once your Mugolio reaches your ideal flavour, it is ready to be strained.
Sterilize a jar in boiling water for 10-15 minutes and when it is still hot pour the syrup into it through a narrow metal sieve.
- Store it:
I personally store the cone syrup in a cold dark environment keeping always a little amount in the kitchen ready to be used.
- Main uses:
It is a very powerful medicine for throat, nose and lung issues, but it can also be used as a topping for desserts or to give a caramelized note to your veggies on the pan!
Different sweeteners:
Mugolio can be done with different kinds of sweeteners, leading to different kinds of products. Here a list of all of the sweeteners I’ve worked with:
- White sugar, it makes clear syrups, not very aromatic, not suggested to make your mugolio.
- Brown sugar, it makes a soft dark syrup, flavourful, suggested.
- Muscovado sugar, it makes a dark syrup, very aromatic, deeply suggested.
- Wildflower honey, through the hygroscopic action of honey, becomes way more liquid than what it is, the strength of fermentation is medium-high.
- Dandelion syrup, it ferments way more than with sugar and it will develop alcoholic compounds with notes of tropical fruits.
- Maple syrup, it behaves very similarly to dandelion syrup in terms of fermentation but it radically changes the flavour from a more tropical to a more dark and bitter taste.
- Powder sugar, unpleasant chemical flavour. Too dry to melt, Not suggested.
The different kind of cones:
To make your mugolio syrup is possible to use with every kind of conifer cone.
During my experiments in Finland I have found Pine cones, Larch cones and Red spruce cones, all of them very different from each other.
- Pine cones, none characteristic color, classic aroma of pine, resin, balsamic aromatic and pleasant.
- Red spruce cones, it gives a pink color to the white sugar syrup, it has a citrusy flavour, slightly sour.
- Larch cones, warm and smooth flavour, golden color, after a few weeks the solution starts to jellytify creating a “honey” texture.
Conclusion:
Mugolio is a great substitute for honey and a very powerful medicine.
It is not suggested to cook it or pour it in hot drinks, instead enjoy it on your pancakes, ice cream, bread or ice tea.
