Fizzy Fruit

A simple experiment using raisins and fizzy drink plus a healthy couscous supper.

Ingredients

Fizzy fruit: raisins, fizzy drink (lemonade, tonic water or similar), tall glass

Fruity couscous: raisins, couscous, stock cube, onion, oil/butter, frozen peas, tinned tomatoes, optional mild curry powder

Recipe

1. Prepare your supper

• Chop the onion and fry gently until soft

• Add 1 tsp curry powder, if using, fry for a minute more

• Add a tin of tomatoes and a few handfuls of raisins

• Simmer the sauce whilst you do some science…

2. Do some science

• Pour out a glass of fizzy drink

• Drop some raisins into the glass

• Watch what happens

3. Back to supper

1. Add a handful of frozen peas to the pan

2. Boil a kettle and dissolve the stock cube in 350mL hot water

3. Add 200g couscous to the stock

4. Cover and leave for five mins

5. Fluff up the cous cous with a fork and add to the sauce

6. Serve with a glass of lemonade or G&T for grown-ups!

Notes

What’s going on? The science in a sentence…. Bubbles of a gas, called carbon dioxide that makes the drink 'fizzy', cling to the raisins which makes them float to the surface; as the bubbles pop, the raisins sink again.

The Naked Scientists have a nice explanation if you want to know more about the science. A clear fizzy drink works best. You can sultanas or dried cranberries too. The supper serves 4 although if grown ups are eating too, you might want to accompany with some bread or add some tuna.