Buzz
Amaze your friends with these seven intriguing and juicy facts about this delightful fruit.
1. STRAWBERRIES AREN’T ACTUALLY BERRIES.
Scientifically, strawberries fall under the category of accessory fruits. This doesn’t mean they’re fashionable accessories (though they could be); rather, they belong to a group of fruits that includes apples, figs, and pineapples.
2. THE ORIGIN OF THEIR NAME REMAINS A MYSTERY.
Several theories exist, such as the idea that strawberries were named for their straw-like growth patterns, but modern etymologists remain unconvinced.
3. SOME STRAWBERRY VARIETIES ARE QUITE UNUSUAL.
Image Credit: Emmbean via Wikipedia Commons // CC BY 3.0
While the garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is the most common, there are other unique varieties. The pineberry, for instance, resembles an underripe strawberry but offers a pineapple-like flavor. Another example is the Himalayan strawberry, Fragaria x daltonia, which resembles a retro sneaker and is often dismissed as "practically tasteless."
4. OREGON IS A PARADISE FOR SHORTCAKE ENTHUSIASTS.
Each June, the Lebanon Strawberry Festival showcases the world’s largest shortcake. Created by a local grocery store bakery, this massive dessert uses 992 cups of flour, 514 cups of sugar, and 18 cups of vanilla, serving over 15,000 people.
5. THEY SIMPLIFY SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.
Image Credit: Tierra Smiley Evans/UC Davis
Collecting saliva from wild monkeys is no easy task—unless strawberry jam is involved. Researchers discovered that spreading jam on a rope and leaving it in the monkeys’ habitat lures them to chew on it, leaving behind a perfect, albeit sticky, saliva sample for study.
6. STRAWBERRIES OUTPACE ORANGES IN VITAMIN C CONTENT.
A large orange contains 86 calories and 98 milligrams of Vitamin C, meeting 163 percent of your daily requirement. In contrast, a serving of strawberries (around 10 berries) has just 60 calories and delivers nearly 177 percent of your daily Vitamin C needs.
7. STRAWBERRY CONSUMPTION IS GROWING STEADILY.
Image Credit: Hieronymous Bosch via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain
Between 2000 and 2012, strawberry consumption in the U.S. increased by 60 percent. This surge is attributed to better farming methods, which enhance flavor, and greater availability due to increased imports from Central and South America.
