Strawberry

Fragaria spp.

fruit

A bright red, juicy, sweet fruit from a hybrid strawberry plant, born of a cross between a large-fruited species from Chile and a species from Virginia; eaten fresh, as jam or ice cream. Its ellagitannins, which the gut flora turns into urolithins, and its vitamin C make it a precious berry.

Origin

Cross of Chilean and North American strawberry plants

Season (United States)

April to July · grows in your region

Preparation

It is eaten raw, whole, with its tiny seeds. Wash it before hulling: once the stem is off, water gets in and softens it. Its skin is eaten, and that is where its polyphenols sit: worth keeping, then — but under running water, rubbing it, which is what takes off most of what settles there, organic or not.

Molecules

Anthocyanins · Ellagitannins · Vitamin CIn small amounts, not counted Pectins · Lignans

Did you know?

In 1714, the officer Frézier brought the Chilean strawberry back to Brittany; the Englishman Cobbett judged its flavour barely superior to that of the potato.