Become The Strawberry Expert!
This month, taste is the key theme on our Medium page. And that’s a great opportunity to talk about strawberries. It’s a fruit that symbolizes taste, the one that is considered by over 50% of French people to be their favorite fruit.
A Fruit Full of History
The history of strawberries dates back to the neolithic period. At that time, they were already growing wild in the Americas and Asia, as well as the sub-mountainous zones of Western Europe.
The plant then had to be patient, waiting until the Middle Ages before “forest strawberries” began to be farmed in gardens and fields. The first real cultivation attempts started in the fourteenth century. In 1368, 12,000 strawberry plants were placed in the Louvre gardens. At that time, every part of the plant was used, as its medicinal qualities were noted in numerous sources; its leaves, roots and fruit were used for infusions, syrups and ointments (#medicine).
But the strawberry wasn’t really commercialized until the fifteenth century. That was when the English and then the Dutch began improving the wild species that grew in the forest in order to obtain ever larger fruits, notably with the species F. vesca.
In the sixteenth century, explorers left for the Americas. Once there, they marveled at the wide variety of fruits and vegetables to be found. One of the plants that they decided to bring back to Europe was the strawberry. Historians say that it was Jacques Cartier who introduced the common strawberry, also known as the Virginia strawberry (fragaria virginiana) to Europe.
In the eighteenth century, the strawberry underwent new developments. A French spy answering to the name of Amédée François Frézier (in French, a strawberry plant is a “fraisier”…Frézier…fraisier…coincidence? We think not) left on a mission to “observe” the harbor fortifications in Chile and Peru. There he found strawberries even larger than any found in Europe. On August 17, 1714, he returned to Marseille with some plants in his suitcase — the Chilean white strawberry. Of those, only five plants survived the journey. Brought to Paris, they were only able to reproduce when near the Virginia strawberry, imported to Europe a century earlier by Jacques Cartier.
It was from this union occurring on European soil between two plants originating in the Americas that a new species was born — a species that would soon be providing the large part of global strawberry production.
Unrivaled Taste
What’s clear is that we aren’t the first, nor will we be the last, to have a preference for strawberries. And rumor has it that even its Latin name refers to its exceptional taste, as “fragrare” means “smells good / emitting a pleasant odor”.
So now that you know about its name and its history, are you really an expert on the strawberry? Because it’s time to tell the truth — the strawberry isn’t a fruit. It’s instead what is sometimes referred to as a “false fruit”. The real fruit corresponds to the achenes, those small alveoli containing the seeds that we see on the surface. The red and fleshy part, on the other hand, is the receptacle of these achenes. But lets not get too caught up in the word — everyone’s going to continue to see the strawberry as a fruit.
What’s more, the strawberry is one of those superfruits that we can eat as much as we like. It’s low in calories (30 cal. for 100 g) and rich in vitamin C (one of the best fruits in that sense). It’s also loaded with vitamin B9, trace elements and antioxidants (thanks to its flavonoids and ellagic acid) — a real powerhouse for our health!
Today there are hundreds of varieties of strawberries, satisfying any number of appetites, tastes and expectations. There are even strawberries coming from certain geographic areas, like the Périgord strawberry and the Nîmes strawberry, which have been granted protective labels (IGP) from the European community. The strawberries of Lot-et-Garonne have been given a “Red Label” designation as well. And there is even a collective brand, “Fraise de France,” which was started in 1998 and allows for tracing each fruit, each variety to its producer.
The Tasty Temptation of Wimbledon
To close with a little story, the strawberry enjoys a place of privilege among the spectators at Wimbledon. Since the tournament began in 1877, it has become an unmistakable part of the ceremonies. Each year over the 14 days of the tournament, spectators (and players) eat over 1 million strawberries (about 28 tons), together with almost 2000 gallons of cream. So we have just one little message to pass along.
To all of those spectators at Roland Garros, just let us know whenever you’d like to bring this tradition to Paris! Our strawberries are ready to take over Philippe Chatrier, Suzanne Lenglen and the rest — and you won’t even need any cream to fall in love with them!
