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Strawberry
Scientific Name: Fragaria
Family:
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One of the most popular fruits in the world perhaps, for its flavor and its scent, is the red Wood or Wild Strawberry which can be found in the shade of pine or beech woods, hidden among other wild plants. The wood strawberry (Fragaria vesca) in its wild form is unequalled for its flavor. But the commercial demands of modern living require far greater amounts than the limited quantities of this excellent fruit that can be collected growing in the wild. Today the strawberry has to be large, uniform, and able to withstand transportation, storage, and freezing. It must also be on the market for some months. Therefore new varieties have been cultivated from the original five or six species. However, they are rarely as good as the wild species. There seems to be a difference even in color between cultivated and wild forms. This difference between the two types is supposedly caused by a different ratio of two important pigments. Strawberries contain various types of sugars, fructose and sucrose being the most abundant. Also present are citric, tartaric and salicylic acids, vitamins B1 and B2 and above all, vitamin C. Strawberries represent a rich source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) whose production is stimulated by sunlight. It has been ascertained that the quantity of vitamin C in the ripe fruits is increased in relation to the length of time in which the plant has been in the sun during the last few days before picking. The amount of vitamin C remains almost unchanged in the undamaged fruits for two or three days after the harvest, but if the fruits are cut or damaged, the vitamin C content decreases rapidly. Therefore strawberries should be eaten as soon after picking as possible. The considerable vitamin properties are mostly lost in cooking, so that strawberry jelly, jams and preserves, although good, have only a fraction of the natural vitamins. To reduce the damage to a minimum, strawberries destined for commercial use must have a good taste and aroma and a bright red color. Fragaria chiloensis, the Chilean strawberry, and Fragaria virginiana, the native American strawberry, along with Fragaria vesca, have produced many of the commercial strawberries used today. It was only in the thirteenth century that the strawberry began to be grown in gardens. It was supposedly brought into France by a sailor named Freziers, from whom it received its French name, fraise. Plougastel in Brittany is still one of the most important centers in France for the strawberry's commercial cultivation. When cooking the fruits times and temperatures must be very precise, as it is a delicate procedure. The strawberry has been recommended in cases of gastritis and induced in some people when the fruit is eaten in great quantities. In medieval times strawberries were considered to be a cure for almost everything, and it was commonly believed that a lotion made of the roots could even fasten loose teeth, presumable by strengthening the gums. [Bianchini, Francesco, Corbetta, Francesco, Pistoia, Marilena, The Complete Book of Fruits and Vegetables, United States Translation: Crown Publishers, New York, 1976; Originally published in Italy as I Frutti della Terra, Arnoldo Mondadori Publisher, Italy, 1973]