It
looks like a strawberry but tastes like a pineapple.
WHAT?!
At the moment, pineberries are more of a novelty, 'designer' fruit. They are produced on a very small scale and are not very profitable due to their small size (less than an inch big) and the low yield of the plants. Additionally, they are only in season for about five weeks of the year and don't hold up very well to shipping.
Let's
investigate the pineberry!
What are they?
Also
known as ananaserdbeere, the German word for
pineapple-strawberry, this summer berry is a hybrid of the wild South
American strawberry fragaria chiloensis and the North American
strawberry fragaria virginiana.
Its skin is white with red seeds and the flesh is extremely aromatic
with a pineapple-like taste, and is very soft when ripe. Grown in
glass houses in parts of Europe and Belize, pineberries start off
green and gradually turn paler as they ripen.
The
Health Benefits
As
pineberries are a type of strawberry, they offer the same nutritional
benefits as the more common garden strawberry. They are rich in
dietary fibre and vitamin C and are a source of iron, calcium,
potassium, manganese and folate. A 100g serving contains just 30
calories.
Where
Can I Find Them?
At the moment, pineberries are more of a novelty, 'designer' fruit. They are produced on a very small scale and are not very profitable due to their small size (less than an inch big) and the low yield of the plants. Additionally, they are only in season for about five weeks of the year and don't hold up very well to shipping.
However,
pineberries have been available to buy in both the UK and US. They
were introduced to the UK market on 1st
April 2010, leading many to believe it was an April Fool's joke. It
wasn't, and they were sold in Waitrose stores for the next five
weeks. They were imported into the United States in 2012 and were
available at Dean & DeLuca, Eataly and Agata & Valentina
stores in New York from early May until mid June that year.
Pineberries
are still not widely available to buy in the US (although they have
been slightly more commercially available since 2014) but are likely
to be sold again in Britain if demand increases – so if you're from
the UK or planning to visit in the future and want to try them, drop
Waitrose an email. Alternatively, you can order them online either in
fruit form or as a plant to grow in your own garden.
How
to Store and Eat
If
you're lucky enough to get your hands on some pineberries (as they are in season right now) use them
as you would normal strawberries. Store in the fridge to keep them fresh and don't leave them for more than a few days. Bring to room temperature and wash
before eating. Add to fruit salads, pavlovas, meringues and
sorbets, or just serve them whole alongside regular strawberries to
blow your guests' minds!
Pineberries and Cream
So...have
you ever heard of pineberries? Have you ever tasted them?
Leave a comment and let me know!
Also
in this series:
Have You Ever Heard of...Kiwi Berries?
Have You Ever Heard of...Kiwi Berries?