KOCHI: One cannot ignore the burst of euphoria which strawberries offer with their perfect balance of sweet and sour notes. The seductive colour of romance adds a twist to the scarce aroma of nuttiness and complements the scrumptious fruit.
Interestingly, its achenes — the tiny, sometimes yellowish or brownish specks — are considered the real fruits, which are rich in fibre. Each of these achene is a fruit, inside of which is a seed. That means a single, medium-sized strawberry would have close to 200 achenes. Strawberries come under the Rosaceae (Rose) family and go by the scientific name, Fragaria x ananassa.
With the summer upon us, the red delights are also a common sight in the markets. So without much adieu, let’s look into the fruit in detail.
Past perfect
Strawberries have a vast and deep-rooted history. They are native to temperate regions of the northern hemisphere and its cultivation is believed to have begun during the late 18th century at Brittany in France.
However, wild strawberries were common across the world. It is said that in North America, native Americans used the fruit in many recipes.
Strawberries made their literary debut through ancient Roman literature as early as 234 BC for the plant’s medicinal use like preventing bad breath and relieving melancholy.
Its pictorial version was first printed in 1484. The French began planting strawberries in the garden as early as the 14th century for its beauty.
Brief resistance
During a period in the 12th century, Saint St Hildegard of Bingen, known for her botanical and medicinal works, claimed strawberries were unfit to consume, as they grew closer to the ground.
Its initial popularity then came to a standstill. Later, the wild superstition around the fruit was put to rest after Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish biologist, prescribed himself a ‘strawberry-only’ diet. Interestingly, he was the one who gave the strawberry its species name Fragaria.
India’s tryst with berry
India’s relationship with strawberries dates back to the early 19th century. Lord Auckland, the governor-general in 1836-42, is believed to have grown the first modern strawberries in India. However, it is also said that the fruit grew in the Himalayas way before the British’s arrival in India.
Anyhow, the Thane Jail was one of the first places where a good amount of acclimatisation was carried out, courtesy of the prisoners who engaged in hard labour, paving the way to many success stories of strawberry cultivation in and around the region.
Mahabaleshwar, a popular hill station around 230km from the Thane Jail in Maharashtra, is known as the Strawberry Garden of India.
The most grown varieties of strawberries are Winter Dawn, Sweet Charlie, Nabila and Camrose. Pune contributes to almost 80 per cent of strawberry production in India.
Kerala’s embrace
Strawberries were alien to Kerala till a while ago. However, times have changed and so has the accessibility of the pulpy fruit.
Now, strawberries are easily available in markets, but their hefty cost sometimes play spoilsport, encouraging many to go for an alternative.
But things are different in regions like Munnar and Wayanad, where tourists are treated to the taste of the fruit for comparatively cheaper rates.
T N Sukumaran, a farmer at Kanthalloor in Idukki, says a mild humid climate between 20–26 degree Celsius is best for cultivating the fruit. The amount of rain also plays a key role. The more the rain, the less the sweetness, he says.
“The strawberries that you see in supermarkets are actually produced in Pune. The Kanthalloor variety, aka the Winter Dawn, is one of the sweetest among strawberries. Its mother plant comes from Egypt, California and Italy,” says Sukumaran. According to him, the best variety comes from California. The plants are brought to nurseries in countries such as India by air.
“When brought, the saplings are separated from the mother plant at the nurseries. Earlier, tissue culture was widely used especially in places like Pune, Bengaluru and Delhi. The process requires the production of at least 50 lakh saplings, only then it will yield profit,” says Sukumaran.
Well, as we come close to the history and biological aspects of the fruit, let’s quickly delve into the scrumptious part. Take a look at the recipes we have presented for you on the page. They are ‘berry’ delicious!
Berry bits
The fear of strawberries is called fragariaphobia
Strawberries contain more Vitamin C than oranges
There’s a museum in Belgium dedicated to strawberries
Strawberries are available in red, pink, yellow and even golden hue
Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside
Though sweet, strawberries have relatively low sugar levels compared to other fruits
In the UK, strawberries and cream is a popular dessert consumed at the Wimbledon tennis tournament
Strawberry pie
Ingredients:
Strawberries: 200gm
Pie crust:
1 (9 inch and baked)
White sugar: 1 cup
Cornstarch: 3 tbsp
Water: ¾ cup
Heavy whipping cream: ½ cup
Method:
Mix sugar and strawberries in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small bowl. Gradually stir the cornstarch mix into the strawberry mix. Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened for about 10 minutes while stirring continuously. Pour the cooked strawberry mixture over the pastry shell. Refrigerate for at least three hours. Before serving, whip cream in a medium bowl until soft. Serve each slice of pie with whipped cream and sliced strawberries.
Strawberry Gin Smash
Ingredients:
Gin: 60ml
Fresh strawberry: 5
Simple syrup: 15ml
Egg white: 1
Method
Cut strawberries in to cubes and put them in a shaker. Muddle gently, add simple syrup, gin and egg white into the shaker. Shake it dry. Add ice cubes and shake again nicely. Pour the mix into a cocktail glass. Garnish with strawberries.
No-preservative strawberry jam
Ingredients
Fresh strawberries: 2-3 cups as per size
Sugar: as per choice
Fresh lemon juice: half teaspoon
Method:
Add finely chopped strawberries into a large pot kept over a medium flame. Mash them and add sugar and lemon. Stir continuously to avoid lumps from forming. Cook until the pulp thickens and stops sticking to the pan. Can be stored for 2-3 months in the fridge.
Strawberry basil fizz
Ingredients
Fresh strawberries: 5
Basil leaves: 3
Lemon juice: 15ml
Honey: 30ml
Method
Add strawberries and basil leaves in hurricane glass muddle gently. Add the rest of the ingredients into a glass. Add crushed ice and top up with soda water. Garnish with slice of lemon and strawberry.
Strawberry chicken skewers
Ingredients:
Boneless chicken cubes: 500gm
Strawberries: 300gm
Yogurt: 120gm
Garlic paste: 5gm
Lemon juice: 10ml
Salt: To taste
White pepper powder: 5gm
Mustard paste: 5gm
Oregano: To taste
Papprika powder: 10gm
Olive oil: 80ml
Skewer sticks
For garnish:
White sesame seeds
Black sesame seeds
Coriander sprigs
Method:
Boil the strawberries until tender. Blend them as smooth paste. Marinate the chicken cubes with strawberrie paste and rest of the all ingredients. Arrange the marinade chicken in the skewer stick and keep it to rest for 5 to 6 hours. In a tawa, grill the marinated chicken skewer using olive oil for 5 to 8 minutes on medium heat. Garnish with roasted sesame seeds and coriander sprigs.
(With inputs from Mahima Anna Jacob)