Arctic Gold, a discovery of the elusive Cloudberry
The first time I saw the word ‘cloudberry’ was on the outside of a Skyr Icelandic yogurt container. Even then, it seemed fake, like an ingredient one might find on a fantasy world menu, or in a novel. What sold me on it was that it was mixed with peach, which I could very much get behind. And I left the mystery at that.
But for reasons I can’t exactly explain, the mystery persisted. What exactly is cloudberry, and why haven’t I heard about it except on a container of Scandinavian yogurt?
Rest assured, the cloudberry is real, though it’s rare enough you could be forgiven for not knowing about it. Cloudberries are so rare in fact, they’ve proven impossible to commercialize. That’s something of a good thing. Commercialization can easily lead to under-appreciation, but all the same, the cloudberry is one fruit that several people miss out on. And like many exotic fruits, this one has an interesting story to tell.
The cloudberry is native to one of the harshest regions on the planet: the Arctic circle. It was first discovered growing in the peat-rich moors and bogs, being one of the few foods able to prosper in such an environment, naturally…
