blueberrys (was: SC - Questions??)

[Par Leijonhufvud]

On Tue, 20 May 1997, Greg Lindahl wrote:

> Blueberry and Cranberry
>=20
> It appears from comments by Simmons that the term "blueberry" describes a
> number of different New World species of the genus <i>Vaccinium</i>; the
> bilberry, which is a member of the same genus, is Old World. The blueberr=
y
> produces "larger and better flavored berries than the European bilberry."
> According to McGee, "The cultivated blueberry, a native of the American e=
ast,
> north, and northwest, has been purposely bred only since about 1910 ... .=
"<p>

I can't recall he latin names right now, but the north european blueberry
(Vaccinium <something or other>) is native of the area. It produces a
fairly small berry (app. 1/4" diameter), that, IMNSHO, have a better (and
more) flavour than the larger berry that is sold as "blueberry" in US
stores. It growns on a low shrub (app 1=B4 tall) that tends to cover the
forrest floor in the taiga (northern conifer forests).=20

> It sounds, in both cases, as though a jelly made from modern berries woul=
d
> correspond pretty closely to something that might have been eaten in Euro=
pe in
> period, but individual berries would look noticably different from their =
old
> world relatives. We do not, however, know of any period recipes using eit=
her
> berry.<p>

IIRC, I have seen archaelogical mentions of blueberry from stone-age=20
finds. Out of period, but to the other side.

/UlfR

- --
Par Leijonhufvud                  par.leijonhufvud at labtek.ki.se=20
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