Editing Rhubarb (section)

==Uses==
{{nutritional value
| name = Rhubarb, raw
| kJ = 88
| water = 94 g
| protein = 0.8 g
| fat = 0.3 g
| carbs = 4.54 g
| fiber = 1.8 g
| sugars = 1.1 g
| calcium_mg = 86
| iron_mg = 0.22
| magnesium_mg = 12
| phosphorus_mg = 14
| potassium_mg = 288
| sodium_mg = 4
| zinc_mg = 0.1
| manganese_mg = 0.196
| vitC_mg = 8
| thiamin_mg = 0.02
| riboflavin_mg = 0.03
| niacin_mg = 0.3
| pantothenic_mg = 0.085
| vitB6_mg = 0.024
| folate_ug = 7
| choline_mg = 6.1
| vitE_mg = 0.27
| vitK_ug = 29.3
| source_usda = 1
| note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/167758/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
| copper_mg = 0.021
| selenium_ug = 1.1
}}
Rhubarb is grown primarily for its fleshy leafstalks, technically known as [[petiole (botany)|petioles]]. The use of rhubarb stalks as food is a relatively recent innovation. This usage was first recorded in 18th- to 19th-century England after affordable [[sugar]] became more widely available.<ref name="Monahan2013"/><ref name=Grieve/>

Commonly, it is stewed with sugar or used in pies and desserts, but it can also be put into savoury dishes or pickled. Rhubarb can be dehydrated and infused with fruit juice. In the United States, it is usually infused with strawberry juice to mimic the popular [[strawberry rhubarb pie]].

===Food===
The species ''[[Rheum ribes]]'' has been eaten in the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic world]] since the 10th century.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Andalusian Cookbook: Table of Contents|url=http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/Cookbooks/Andalusian/andalusian_contents.htm|access-date=2023-02-23|website=www.daviddfriedman.com}}</ref>

In Northern Europe and North America, the stalks are commonly cut into pieces and stewed with added sugar until soft.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lyle|first=Katie Letcher|title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Fruits, and Nuts: How to Find, Identify, and Cook Them|publisher=[[FalconGuides]]|year=2010|isbn=978-1-59921-887-8|edition=2nd|location=Guilford, CN|page=111|oclc=560560606|orig-date=2004}}</ref> The resulting [[compote]], sometimes thickened with corn starch, can then be used in pies, tarts and crumbles. Alternatively, greater quantities of sugar can be added with [[pectin]] to make [[Fruit preserves|jams]]. A paired spice used is [[ginger]], although [[cinnamon]] and [[nutmeg]] are also common additions.

In the United Kingdom, as well as being used in the typical pies, tarts and crumbles, rhubarb compote is also combined with whipped cream or custard to make rhubarb [[Fruit fool|fool]]. In the United States, the common usage of rhubarb in pies has led to it being nicknamed "pie plant", by which it is referred to in 19th-century cookbooks.<ref name="Bill Neal p. 308">{{cite book|author=Neal, Bill |title=Biscuits, Spoonbread and Sweet Potato Pie|page= 308 |publisher=Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press|year= 2003|orig-date= 1990|isbn=978-0-8078-5474-7}}</ref> Rhubarb in the US is also often paired with strawberries to make strawberry-rhubarb pie, though some rhubarb purists jokingly consider this "a rather unhappy marriage".<ref name="Bill Neal p. 308"/>

Rhubarb can also be used to make alcoholic drinks, such as [[fruit wine]]s or Finnish rhubarb [[sima (mead)]]. It is also used to make [[Kompot]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rhubarb Compote|url=https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/rhubarb-compote|access-date=2023-02-23|website=Epicurious|date=7 April 2008 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Nutrition===
Raw rhubarb is 94% water, 5% [[carbohydrate]]s, 1% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and contains negligible fat (table). In a {{convert|100|g|oz|frac=2|abbr=off|adj=on}} reference amount, raw rhubarb supplies {{convert|88|kJ|kcal|abbr=off}} of [[food energy]], and is a rich source of [[vitamin K]] (28% of the [[Daily Value]], DV), a moderate source of [[vitamin C]] (10% DV), and contains no other [[micronutrient]]s in significant amounts (table).

===Traditional Chinese medicine===
In [[traditional Chinese medicine]], rhubarb roots of several species were used as a [[laxative]] for several millennia,<ref name="Barceloux2012">{{cite book|last=Barceloux|first=Donald G|title=Medical Toxicology of Natural Substances: Foods, Fungi, Medicinal Herbs, Plants, and Venomous Animals|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aTTBPedwFfAC&pg=PT235|date=2012|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-38276-9|page=235}}</ref> although there is no [[evidence-based medicine|clinical evidence]] to indicate such use is effective.<ref name=drugs/>