Strawberry

People have used the strawberry in various forms for millennia in Europe and the Americas. The first written record of strawberries comes from Ancient Roman texts, which outline the strawberry’s supposed medicinal qualities. Europeans have harvested strawberries from the wild for centuries. By the 14^th century, French botanists began to transplant wild strawberries to their gardens. In the 1500s, the popularity of strawberries grew immensely. The fruit appeared in literature and art, and was considered medicinal, not necessarily food. Botanists began to distinguish and name different species of strawberry. Strawberries became a majorly recognized food in the 17^th century when strawberry species from Europe were crossbred with varieties native to the Americas. Modern strawberries arose in France in the early 1700s. This occurred when the French imported a variety of strawberries from North America, and a variety from Chile. These two types of berries were crossbred and gave rise to the large, juicy strawberry that we all know and love. Since then, the succulent red fruit has proliferated around the world, becoming a favorite as a dessert or sweet related food. The United States is by far the largest producer of strawberries, producing about 1.3 million tons of strawberries per year, which equates to about 30% of the world’s total strawberry production. Strawberries can vary in size, shape, color and even flavor. These differences are largely a result of the time of the growing season in which they are harvested and the conditions of the growing area. A particular variety of strawberry—long stem strawberries—are carefully hand-cut so they are left with about two inches of stem still intact, making them an ideal choice for applications such as dipping.