Content
- The fruits of the strawberry tree
- Short description of strawberry tree fruit
- Are the fruits edible?
- Tasty specialties
- Not poisonous, but even a cure
- Tips
The fruits of the strawberry tree are delicious and healthy
The fruits of the strawberry tree
The special charm of the strawberry tree (Arbutus) is not only the attractively colored bark and the pretty foliage. Related to the domestic heather, easy to maintain exotic adorned with white umbels from which form bright orange-red fruits. Visually they resemble strawberries and were eponymous. Non-toxic, however, they are only a delicacy in their home countries, but here give typical dishes their characteristic aroma.
Short description of strawberry tree fruit
Are the fruits edible?
Legend has it that the name "unedo" goes back to a saying by the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder. "Unum edo", translated means something like: "I eat one." He points out that you certainly do not eat a second strawberry fruit, you tried one.
But strawberry tree fruits are not poisonous. However, they do not transport well because they spoil quickly. Due to this fact and the raw enjoyed rather bland taste, they are only processed regionally.
Tasty specialties
The fruits of the strawberry tree contain a lot of vitamin C and pectin, so they are ideal as a base for jam. However, the shell and the small nuclei do not completely dissolve; Once cooked, the spread must be stroked through a sieve again.
In the Algarve, we burned the arbutus berries of the typical "Medronho" liquor typical of this region. A Sardinian specialty is the honey "Amaro di Corbezzolo". It tastes very intense and is a popular seasoning for sweet but also salty food.
Not poisonous, but even a cure
If you are traveling in the south and discovering strawberry tree fruits, you can safely nibble on the edible fruit. Fully ripe they are quite edible and, because of the high pectin content, an excellent remedy for traveler's diarrhea.
Tips
Arbutus blooms in the cold season when there are hardly any insects in Germany. This inevitably leads to problems in pollination, so you have to do without fruit. However, you can help with a brush and make the fertilization yourself.