Schusters Shrub Orange-Cardamom Syrup. Fruit syrup based on apple cider vinegar made from oranges and cardamom – spicy and fruity for salads, cheese, and oriental cuisine.

Schusters Shrub Orange-Cardamom Syrup is a vinegar-based fruit syrup made from oranges, cardamom, apple cider vinegar, and sugar, produced by the family-run manufacturer Schusters Shrub in Untersteinbach in the Steigerwald region. Spicy and fruity, intended for dilution and measured use, 250 ml in a glass bottle. Not an orange syrup for children's lemonade, not a ready-made dressing, and no added flavorings – fruit, spice, vinegar, and sugar, that is the entire recipe.

Orange-Cardamom Syrup from Schusters Shrub belongs to a type of product that was almost forgotten in Germany: shrub. This is a vinegar-based fruit syrup consisting of three ingredients – fruit, apple cider vinegar, and sugar. The fruits are soaked in apple cider vinegar for several weeks, then pressed; the fruit vinegar is seasoned with sugar and bottled hot. The vinegar provides acidity and highlights the fruit; according to the manufacturer, the aroma comes solely from the ingredients, without any added flavorings. For this variety, orange slices are steeped in the vinegar along with cardamom pods. This creates a syrup that works in a glass of water, but is primarily at home in the kitchen: on salads, cheese, couscous, and desserts.

Taste

Shrub Orange-Cardamom tastes of the sweetness of sun-ripened oranges, followed by the spicy note of cardamom. The apple cider vinegar provides acidity and holds both together.

On its own, the syrup is potent: sweet, sour, and spicy all at once – that is how a shrub should be, as it is always diluted or measured out by the spoonful. The orange sets the direction, while the cardamom makes it warm and a little exotic.

Those expecting a pure, juicy orange syrup may find the spice note too prominent. Cardamom is a spice with character, and this syrup displays it openly.

Usage

For a dressing, stir the shrub with a splash of lemon juice and oil, plus salt and pepper – ready in two minutes. The manufacturer recommends this variety for chicory and frisée salads, with spicy cheese, and as an appetizer with a colorful beet carpaccio.

In oriental cuisine, the syrup pairs well with couscous and bulgur or with black olives. In sauces, a tablespoon provides a fruity note. For roasted cauliflower salad, a recipe from the manufacturer, one to two tablespoons of Shrub Orange-Cardamom are added to the dressing. For dessert, add it to chocolate mousse or drizzle it over fresh fruit with Greek yogurt.

As a lemonade, mix one part shrub with ten to fifteen parts ice-cold sparkling water; for a 0.2-liter glass, 1.5 to 2 cl is sufficient. For a cocktail, the manufacturer suggests shrub, vodka, juice, and ice. Store the bottle in a cool, dark place; according to the manufacturer, the syrup is shelf-stable even after opening.

Our tip: A teaspoon of syrup over a piece of sharp hard cheese – salt, fruit, and spice in one bite. Rarely does an evening with friends require more than that as an appetizer.

Origin

Schusters Shrub is a small family manufacturer in Untersteinbach in the Steigerwald, a district of Rauhenebrach in the Haßberge district of Franconia. Hanna Schuster, a graduate food technologist, discovered shrubs during a semester abroad in Pennsylvania and developed the first recipe of her own together with her mother. The family introduced their first varieties in 2012.

Orange-Cardamom was added later and shows how the manufacturer is further developing the old concept: instead of just preserving berries, they combine a citrus fruit with a spice. The oranges are sliced so that the vinegar can reach the peel and the pulp; the cardamom pods release their spice alongside them. The pressing, seasoning, and hot-filling take place in the transparent production facility in Untersteinbach, where Hanna Schuster and her family work the bottling equipment themselves. You can find more about the family and the idea behind the shrub on our Schusters Shrub page.

For whom

Orange-Cardamom is the bottle for everyone who loves to cook and prefers mixing their own dressing rather than buying it ready-made. The syrup fits in kitchens where couscous and cheese platters regularly appear on the table, and for anyone who wants to round off a dessert with a spicy note. As a gift for home cooks, the slender 250 ml bottle is a great choice.

Those who like it even spicier should reach for the Shrub Oriental Syrup with cinnamon, cumin, and chili; those looking for citrus with herbs should try the Shrub Lemon-Thyme Syrup. Other syrups can be found in our Syrup category. Orange-Cardamom is not suitable for those expecting a mild orange lemonade without spices.

Orange meets cardamom – the apple cider vinegar-based fruit syrup from Schusters Shrub in the Steigerwald for salads, cheese, and oriental cuisine.