History of Berry

Berry:

A berry is a tiny, pulpy fruit that is frequently edible. Berries are often juicy, spherical, brightly coloured, sweet, sour, or acidic, and lack a stone or pit, though a large number of pips or seeds may be present. Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, red currants, white currants, and blackcurrants are all common examples. Soft fruit is a horticulture word for such fruits in the United Kingdom.

The term “berry” is not synonymous with the scientific or botanical definition of a fruit made from the ovary of a single flower, in which the outer layer of the ovary wall develops into an edible fleshy section (pericarp). Many fruits that aren’t generally thought of as berries, such as grapes, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, bananas, and chilli peppers, are included in the botanical description. Strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, which are aggregation fruits, and mulberries, which are numerous fruits, are usually regarded berries but are not included in the botanical definition. Watermelons and pumpkins are both large berries classified as “pepos.”

Berries are popular in jams, preserves, cakes, and pies all across the world. Some berries have a high commercial value. The berry business, as well as the varieties of berries cultivated or found in the wild, differs from country to country. Some berries, like raspberries and strawberries, have been bred for hundreds of years and are distinct from their wild counterparts, whereas others, like lingonberries and cloudberries, are almost exclusively found in the wild.

While many berries are edible, some, such as deadly nightshade and pokeweed, are dangerous to humans. Others, including the white mulberry, red mulberry, and elderberry, are poisonous while unripe but edible when fully ripe.

History

Berries have been a major food source for humans since before the dawn of agriculture, and they continue to be one of the most important food sources for other primates. For thousands of years, they were a seasonal staple for early hunter-gatherers, and wild berry harvesting is still a popular hobby in Europe and North America today. Humans eventually learnt to keep berries in order to use them throughout the winter. They can be converted into fruit preserves or mixed with meat and fats to make pemmican, which is popular among Native Americans.

Berries were also started to be grown in Europe and other countries. Blackberries and raspberries from the genus Rubus have been farmed in the United States since the 17th century, while smooth-skinned blueberries and cranberries from the genus Vaccinium have been grown for over a century. Between the 10th and 18th centuries in Japan, the name ichibigo ichigo was used to refer to a variety of berry harvests. The strawberry, on the other hand, is the most frequently farmed berry in modern times, with twice the global production of all other berry crops combined.

The strawberry was referenced by the ancient Romans, who believed it had medical properties[10], but it was not a common crop at the time. In the 14th century, French gardens began to grow woodland strawberries. In the late 16th century, European gardens began to grow the musk strawberry (F. moschata), also known as the hautbois strawberry. The Virginia strawberry was later cultivated in both Europe and the United States. The garden strawberry (Fragaria ananassa), the most widely consumed strawberry, is an unintended cross between the Virginia strawberry and the Chilean variation Fragaria chiloensis.

Use in baked goods