[Sca-cooks] Barberries (was "Just a Feast")

[Diamond Randall]

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>Nancy asked:
>> A Fabulous Feast, to borrow a phrase.  Could you provide your source for
>> barberries?  Thanks!
>
>A couple of sources told me that cranberries are a good modern North
>American substitute, so that's what I'm using.

>Oregon Grape. They are closely related enough that we managed to substitute
>barberries for Oregon Grape in Summits heraldry (Princess' device). I don't
>remember the Latin names off the top of my head though. OG is tart, dark
>blue/purple, and really seedy. More so than cranberries.
>'Lainie

I disagree strongly with these substitutions.   Cranberries are not even
close.
Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquiflorium) is at least in the same family.  Why
bother though? Barberries are VERY common all over the US as a popular
landscaping plant.  You can find them at any nursery and WallieWorld too.
Really big ones are all over  universities and parks with tonnes of berries.
The one the recipe calls for is Berberis vulgaris or common barberry.  Another
European one is Berberis chinensis fron the Transcaucus regions.  Barberries
are
bright red with a single seed and is oval about 1 cm long.  Very tart.
Commonly
used in France for a sugared preserve (but with a seedless variety).  The
Japanese
species are very close looking but with smaller fruits (Berberis thunbergii)
There are red, purple and yellow leaved types which are very easily found in
landscaping; it is a mainstay plant.  The thorns are very slender and
needlelike.
The leaves were often used in salads according to Gerard.

Akim

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