Berries: A Global History

176 Pages·2018·12.43 MB·English

by  Heather Arndt Anderson

berries
Edible
Series Editor: Andrew F. Smith
edible is a revolutionary series of books dedicated to food and drink
that explores the rich history of cuisine. Each book reveals the global
history and culture of one type of food or beverage.
Already published
Apple Erika Janik • Banana Lorna Piatti-Farnell
Barbecue Jonathan Deutsch and Megan J. Elias • Beef Lorna Piatti-Farnell
Beer Gavin D. Smith • Berries Heather Arndt Anderson
Brandy Becky Sue Epstein • Bread William Rubel • Cake Nicola Humble
Caviar Nichola Fletcher • Champagne Becky Sue Epstein
Cheese Andrew Dalby • Chillies Heather Arndt Anderson
Chocolate Sarah Moss and Alexander Badenoch
Cocktails Joseph M. Carlin • Corn Michael Owen Jones
Curry Colleen Taylor Sen • Dates Nawal Nasrallah
Doughnut Heather Delancey Hunwick • Dumplings Barbara Gallani
Edible Flowers Constance L. Kirker and Mary Newman
Eggs Diane Toops • Fats Michelle Phillipov
Figs David C. Sutton • Game Paula Young Lee
Gin Lesley Jacobs Solmonson • Hamburger Andrew F. Smith
Herbs Gary Allen • Herring Kathy Hunt • Honey Lucy M. Long
Hot Dog Bruce Kraig • Ice Cream Laura B. Weiss • Lamb Brian Yarvin
Lemon Toby Sonneman • Lobster Elisabeth Townsend
Melon Sylvia Lovegren • Milk Hannah Velten • Moonshine Kevin R. Kosar
Mushroom Cynthia D. Bertelsen • Nuts Ken Albala • Offal Nina Edwards
Olive Fabrizia Lanza • Onions and Garlic Martha Jay
Oranges Clarissa Hyman • Oyster Carolyn Tillie • Pancake Ken Albala
Pasta and Noodles Kantha Shelke • Pickles Jan Davison • Pie Janet Clarkson
Pineapple Kaori O’Connor • Pizza Carol Helstosky
Pomegranate Damien Stone • Pork Katharine M. Rogers
Potato Andrew F. Smith • Pudding Jeri Quinzio • Rice Renee Marton
Rum Richard Foss • Salad Judith Weinraub • Salmon Nicolaas Mink
Sandwich Bee Wilson • Sauces Maryann Tebben • Sausage Gary Allen
Seaweed Kaori O’Connor • Shrimp Yvette Florio Lane
Soup Janet Clarkson • Spices Fred Czarra • Sugar Andrew F. Smith
Sweets and Candy Laura Mason • Tea Helen Saberi • Tequila Ian Williams
Truffle Zachary Nowak • Vodka Patricia Herlihy • Water Ian Miller
Whiskey Kevin R. Kosar • Wine Marc Millon
Berries
A Global History
Heather Arndt Anderson
reaktion books
This book is dedicated to my mother Debbie, who, like me,
enjoyed eating feral berries as a young Cascadian wildling.
Published by Reaktion Books Ltd
Unit 32, Waterside
44–48 Wharf Road
London n1 7ux, uk
www.reaktionbooks.co.uk
First published 2018
Copyright © Heather Arndt Anderson 2018
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publishers
Printed and bound in China
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
isbn 978 1 78023 895 1
Contents
Introduction 7
1 Botany 9
2 Berry-lore 26
3 Picking and Growing 47
4 Dishes and Drinks 72
5 Poison and Panacea 116
Appendix: Botanical Descriptions 131
Recipes 139
References 151
Bibliography 157
Websites and Associations 159
Acknowledgements 163
Photo Acknowledgements 165
Index 169

Introduction
There are few more welcome sights to a hungry hiker than
a bush heavy with ripe berries. Humans aren’t the only crea-
tures to know the joys of berries; they’re loved by birds,
squirrels and insects; they sufficiently fatten bears for hiber-
nation through the winter. North America commercially
produces far more berries than any other region in the world
– more than two million tonnes in 2012 – with Russia coming
in a distant second place at 710,000 tonnes. As their national
symbol the bear does, Russians, too, adore berries; their word
for ‘buttocks’, yagoditsy, literally translates as ‘little berries’.
Because berry-producing plants tend to prefer moist,
acidic humus (especially in volcanic soils), they grow best in
the temperate regions of the world which also support vast
forests. Berries may not be fussy about where they grow, but
they are so delicate that they are largely produced for local
consumption rather than global shipping. No berries rank in
the top ten fruits produced worldwide, but their following
is ardent. Berries are much more than mere pie fillings and
jams: they’re sacred medicine, spiritual totems and deadly
weapons.
So many of us hailing from northern climes have fond
childhood memories involving berries: filling empty margarine
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tubs with wild blackberries from grassy urban alleys and weedy
field edges; eating dewy, coral-hued berries from a (poison-
ous) yew and somehow avoiding death; cruelly tricking a
younger brother into eating bittersweet nightshade berries
just to watch his face screw up in disgust; trying mealy haw-
thorn berries more than once to see if they were worth the
spines, and deciding that they were perhaps not. Some pick
them on pastoral farmlands, some in the hallowed forests,
some on scabby marshes. We have done this since time
immemorial, and will for ever more.
This little book cannot possibly provide a comprehensive
discussion of each and every berry, but it will attempt to shed
light on some of the better-loved berries of the world and
some of the compelling reasons they have been so adored.
Be they a staple foodstuff, a fad or exalted in ancient, sacred
lore, berries are part of our human history.
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1
Botany
A berry is rightfully defined as any fruit whose seeds are
enclosed in fleshy pulp and covered with a thin skin. But a
berry can be so much more. Everyone knows what one means
when one speaks of berries. Most people will not think of a
banana or an orange when a berry is mentioned, and nor will
most fret that a strawberry is, botanically speaking, something
else entirely.
Berries are a counter-intuitive and perplexing lot.
Botanically, ‘berry’ is a broadly defined term that includes
tomatoes, persimmons, coffee beans and kiwifruit. Mind-
bogglingly, it also includes the sturdy, rind-bearing fruit
known as pepos, such as cucumbers, melons and papaya.
A banana is technically a leathery berry, and segmented fruits
with a pliable rind, such as citrus, are a type of berry called a
hesperidium. The odd-looking cherimoya (custard apple)
is an aggregate of berries. Berries are indehiscent; that is,
they do not split open when ripe, as do milkweed pods, say.
Botanically, a berry-like fruit is said to be baccate, meani ng
‘pearl-like’. This is unrelated to the word ‘bacchanal’, an
occa sion of wild and wine-drunken revelry, named for the
Graeco-Roman wine god Bacchus. (Grapes are also true
berries, but they warrant their own book and are therefore
ignored here.)
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