A Brief History of the #Strawberry

By Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Updated on June 24, 2022

"The strawberry is a member of the rose family, with the most common varieties being a hybrid of the wild Virginia strawberry (native to North America) and a Chilean variety. The plant produces succulent, red, conical fruit from tiny white flowers, and sends out runners to propagate.

Why Are They Called Strawberries?

Most likely the word strawberry comes from the Old English streawberige because the plant sends out runners which could be likened to pieces of straw.

But others contend the practice of mulching strawberries with straw or finding them growing wild among matted hay or straw led to their name. And yet, other pundits believe the name came from the practice of selling the berries skewered on a piece of straw in open-air markets as a treat.

Where Do Strawberries Come From?

Strawberries are native to North America, and Indigenous peoples used them in many dishes. The first colonists in America shipped the native larger strawberry plants back to Europe as early as 1600. Another variety, also was discovered in Central and South America, is what the conquistadors called '#futilla.' Early Americans did not bother cultivating strawberries because they were abundant in the wilds.

Although they have been around for thousands of years, strawberries were not actively cultivated until the Renaissance period in Europe. The plants can last for five to six with careful cultivation, but most farmers use them as an annual crop, replanting yearly. Strawberries are social plants, requiring both a male and a female to produce fruit. Crops take eight to 14 months to mature."

Learn more:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/history-of-strawberry-1807668

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