From pastries, ice-creams and milkshakes, to the royalty of the iconic Wimbledon cream-based dessert – strawberries have come to be recognised as more a commodity than a simple fruit. Just the sheer volume of associations the simple mention of the word conveys, across a spectrum of colour, flavour, and popular imagery, has transformed the red fruit into much beyond the sum of its (nutritional) parts. Since we find ourselves at present in a somewhat short-lived strawberry season, let us learn more about the fruit and some effective consumption practices.
As deceptive as they are beautiful, interestingly, the name ‘strawberry’ itself is a misnomer as, in botanical terms, strawberry is not classified as a berry at all. What is more interesting and less known, is that the fruit has come to be known as a pseudocarp: a ‘false fruit’. This is due to the reason that a single strawberry is made up of smaller cells of individual fruits called achenes. As nutrition consultant Shalini Manglani explains, “If a fruit is formed not just from the ovary but from other plant tissues as well, it is called a pseudocarp. Examples of pseudocarp surround us, like strawberries, pineapples, apples, and more. The word can be ignored as jargon or can be used to start a conversation about fruits. The fact has no major impact on any of the characteristics of a strawberry.”
The utilisation of seasonal strawberries becomes more imperative with the fact that it is considered a ‘superfood’. As Varun Pareria, founder of Comal, MG Road, attests, “They are high in vitamins, antioxidants, and fibre.” The fibre quantity owes itself to the achenes, of course; in approximation, half a cup of strawberries well exceeds a slice of whole wheat bread in terms of fibre. In terms of incorporating strawberries into daily diet, Pareria explains, “It can be eaten as a snack or included in salads or desserts. Another great option to include strawberries in savoury food is by pickling them to reduce the sweetness.” While Pareria stresses that ‘absolutely everything should be consumed in moderation’, he continues, “The best option would be to make them into jam. It can then be used in multiple ways like on toast with some cheese, toppings for pancakes, waffles, ice cream, cakes, and more.”
Incorporating strawberries into the daily diet, according to Ishita Kaushik, chef and founder of Dulce, is completely hassle-free. “They are almost bite-sized – so you can just pop a few as a delicious snack. You can also just cut up a few and add them to your salad and cereal bowls. They can also be pureed and added (cooked or raw) to smoothies, cold beverages (strawberry coffee tonic is a game-changer), and yoghurts. It’s really easy to make your own fruit yoghurt with strawberries, with significantly less sugar than the ones you get in the market,” she says.