The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France, in the 1750s via a cross of Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America and Fragaria chiloensis, which was brought from Chile by Amédée-François Frézier in 1714. Prior to this, wild strawberries and cultivated selections from wild strawberry species were the common source of the fruit.
The Romans believed strawberries had broad medicinal powers. They were used to treat everything from depression to bad breath to kidney stones.
The strawberry is not, from a botanical point of view, a berry. It is derived from a single flower with more than one ovary, making it an aggregate fruit.
Strawberries mainly consist of water (91%) and carbohydrates (7.7%). They contain only minor amounts of fat (0.3%) and protein (0.7%).
Since strawberries can be harvested every three days, 50,000 pounds of strawberries can be grown on a single acre of land during the course of a year.
When ripe, a pineberry is almost completely white, but with red seeds. It is a mix of two species of strawberries, and its taste contains a hint of pineapple.
In England, the famous tennis tournament at Wimbledon occurs during the peak of strawberry season and spectators often snack on "strawberries and cream", which is a popular dessert in the UK.
SHARE THIS PAGE!