CRANBERRIES
Zgodovina
Cranberries are native to North America and subarctic Eurasia. Native Americans used cranberries for dietary and medical purposes, as well as a natural dye.
Uporaba
Dried cranberries are a delicious snack, but it is recommended that you soak them in water before consumption.
Cranberries can be added to breakfast cereals, diary products, pastries, pancakes or spreads. They can be used to put an interesting twist to salads or game.
They are often added to various kinds of mixed nuts and dried fruits and can be used instead of raisins or any other dried fruit.
Pridelovanje
The largest producers of cranberries are the USA, Canada and Belarus, and in recent years Chile has been established as the fastest developing producer of cranberries.
Dwarf cranberry shrubs belong to the family of fenberries, which can spread up to two metres in width and only between 20 and 40 centimetres in height. Cranberries are harvested in late Summer and Autumn.
Zanimivost
Cranberries are dried using a method similar to dehydrating grapes into raisins. The cranberries are dried by partial (osmotic) dehydration of the fresh fruit (squeezing the juices or open air drying in the sun or in the shade), to which is added sugar and small amounts of vegetable oil (to prevent the berries from sticking together).
The plant can tolerate extremely low temperatures – down to -40°C.
Cranberry sauce is very popular in English speaking countries, since the British serve it with their Christmas dinner and the Americans on Thanksgiving.
Only 5% of the cranberries are sold fresh; the remaining cranberries are dried, or cooked into juices, sauces, compotes and other similar dishes. Cranberries are also used for dying textiles.
