by K.J. Lincoln
Have you ever tried tundra cranberry atsiuraq? If you have not, here is the recipe for you to make. It is very easy to cook and so very good!
To make this berry crush or mash you need low bush cranberries tumaglit or bog cranberries uingiaraat and they can be frozen or fresh, and a few other ingredients. Our grandma Al’aq made the most delicious atsiuraq there ever and now we can also make it. In fact, you may already know someone who knows how to make this tasty treat.
Tumaglit, also known as lingonberries or low bush cranberries, are an excellent source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are an important part of the human diet and have the ability to affect the aging process. Tumaglit from the tundra are very tart, flavorful and delicious. They are the last to ripen before everything freezes.
Here is the recipe, we hope you like this dessert. Amounts are approximate so feel free to adjust to your liking.
Gram’s Cranberry Atsiuraq
4 cups of tundra cranberries – tumaglit or uingiaraat
1 ½ cups of water
½ to 1 cup sugar (your choice)
2 Tbs. shortening or butter
Flour paste (mix ½ cup of flour with ½ cup of water)
1 pinch of salt
In a saucepan or skillet combine the berries and water. Gently crush and smash the berries as they heat up on medium heat, forming a pulpy mass. Add the sugar and the shortening or butter and salt. Stir continually as the mixture bubbles and thickens. Add in the flour paste. The consistency of the cranberries should be kind of thick, like oatmeal. Add more water or flour paste if needed and sugar to taste. Turn off the heat, cool and eat with milk or as is! Aspiaq cakneq.
(This recipe has been modified from when it was first published on September 30th, 2015. We added more water to the flour for the paste and increased the sugar amount. We also added the pinch of salt and changed the amount of water to 1 ½ cups. Quyana!)
