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A truly international fruit, the modern strawberries we feast upon today come from an accidental hybrid of North and South American species by way of Europe in the 18th century, although many varieties of the plant were enjoyed as far back as ancient Greece and Rome. Here are some facts and figures relating to this most beloved berry:
1. William Butler (1535-1618) once said, “Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did.” Apparently many people agree, because Americans eat 3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries a year, plus another 1.8 pounds frozen. California produces 75% of the nation’s strawberry supply, yielding 21 tons of strawberries per acre among the 23,000 acres of strawberries planted in California each year. Strawberry fields, indeed, forever.
2. Daring to show its seeds on the outside, the strawberry is no sissy fruit – one serving (roughly eight berries) has more vitamin C than an orange. On the softer side, it also happens to be the namesake of everyone’s favorite resident of Niceville.
3. Fans of this delectable fruit are in good company. France’s King Louis XI held a poetry competition to compose the best ode to the Strawberry. The winner:
“Quand de juin s’éveille le mois / Allez voir les fraises des bois / Qui rougissent dans la verdure / Plus rouge que le vif corail / Balançant comme un éventail / Leurs feuilles a triple découpure.”
[”When the month of June comes in, go and see the wood strawberries blushing red among the greenery, redder than bright coral, their three-lobed leaves spreading like a fan.”] June is an excellent time to consume strawberries, although in the U.S., May is National Strawberry Month.
4. The French are big fans of the strawberry, even attempting to trademark its scent. (The company who attempted failed, but did manage to trademark the scent of freshly cut grass.) Farther back, Thérésa Tallien, a powerful figure during the French Revolution (nicknamed Our Lady of Thermidor), used to take baths full of strawberries – allegedly 22 pounds of them – for the beautification of her skin.
5. Strawberries figure prominently in literature and in lore. In Othello, Desdemona’s handkerchief is decorated with images of the fruit. Despite being considered a symbol of Venus because of its heart shape and red color, strawberries are sometimes seen negatively, as in the case of Anne Boleyn, who is rumored to have sported a strawberry-shaped birthmark on her neck that some claimed proved she was a witch.
6. Used medicinally in the past (including its leaves and roots), the strawberry has been said to soften skin, whiten teeth, and alleviate symptoms of infections, gout, diseases of the blood, fainting and melancholy, probably because (as we now know) strawberries contain antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and a hearty dose of Vitamin C.
If you think you are the master of strawberry-related facts, try our vintage quiz.
Dietribes will appear every Wednesday. Food photos taken by Johanna Beyenbach. You might remember that name from our post about her colorful diet.
Thanks for the lovely credit. I look forward to reading more food trivia in the future (I would be giddy about this even if my photos weren’t in here!).
posted by Johanna on 1-30-2008 at 8:23 am
“3.4 pounds of fresh strawberries a year, plus another 1.8 pounds frozen”
Erm, wouldn’t that be per person? 23,000 acres of strawberries yields a bit more than 3.4 pounds, I would think.
posted by Rachel on 1-30-2008 at 8:58 am
sorry that wasn’t clear - per person, yup
posted by InternAllison on 1-30-2008 at 9:02 am
I used to live by strawberry fields in Dixon, California. Right around May you could start smelling them from the freeway. There is nothing better than locally grown strawberries!
posted by Lauren on 1-30-2008 at 9:54 am
If anyone is in the Lakeland/ Tampa Bay area next month they should check out the strawberry fest in Plant City. Plant City FL is the winter strawberry capitol of the U.S.of A.
posted by melissa b on 1-30-2008 at 11:07 am
This post is giving me a craving!
posted by Miss Cellania on 1-30-2008 at 11:16 am
Great post! This reminds me that I have strawberries at home that I need to eat! yum!
posted by Bailey on 1-30-2008 at 11:22 am
I love strawberries! Thanks for the post!
posted by Melodye on 1-30-2008 at 11:56 am
Fresh, locally grown strawberries are indeed one of the best treats.
On a trip to the Netherlands earlier this year, we encountered a local farmer dropping off that day’s batch of produce at the market. The strawberries were possibly the best part of that excursion.
posted by Caleb on 1-30-2008 at 1:44 pm
I was looking forward to this post! Can’t wait for more fun stuff. I wish strawberries were in season now, I’m really craving some.
posted by heather on 1-30-2008 at 2:10 pm
I love strawberries! The sweetest ones are definitely the ones grown in your own backyard.
posted by Andie on 1-30-2008 at 2:21 pm
I am allergic to strawberries! I grew up eating them and didn’t realize until later that those small red heart shaped temptations were landing me in the hospital! Oh the sweet irony of being now deadly allergic to my favorite fruit!
posted by Renee Walker on 1-30-2008 at 2:43 pm
I guess I’m in the minority. I absolutely hate strawberries. I was hoping this article would give me more reasons to justify my hatred. Their taste, texture, even how they look (yuck, those seeds just LOOKING at you!) You can have them. Strawberry Shortcake was pretty rad, though.
posted by Nat X on 1-30-2008 at 3:00 pm
mmmm… strawberries.
posted by Lorena on 1-30-2008 at 3:07 pm
Can you tell me which company tried to trademark the scent?
Ever since finding out about the perfumes Demeter creates, i’ve been very interested in realistic-scent perfumes.
Thank you!
posted by Jenny on 1-30-2008 at 4:08 pm
@Nat X:
Strawberry Shortcake was awesome! I live in central Oklahoma (booooooooooring!) and found out a couple of years back that the woman who created Strawberry Shortcake, Muriel Fahrion, lives nearby. I happened to meet her at an Octoberfest event, and my 10 month old was wearing SS shoes!
Sadly for her, though, she worked at American Greetings at the time and has no royalty priveleges. Just like The Man, always bringing us down.
posted by adrienne on 1-30-2008 at 7:09 pm
Ooops, went a little off-topic and forgot to mention that I love the article! Great job, Allison–I love strawberries and random trivia, so this was a winner.
posted by adrienne on 1-30-2008 at 7:10 pm
I love the way strawberries look, but they taste weird. I would really want to try a REALLy fresh one in the future, but right now I hold them as the most overrated fruit along with blueberries.
posted by Rachel* on 1-30-2008 at 10:55 pm