Fruits · Berries

Cranberries (fresh)

Hard, bright-red, very tart North American berries, cooked into cranberry sauce, relishes and baked goods.

Also called: fresh cranberries, frozen cranberries, cranberry

Photo: Photo by Keith Weller, via Wikimedia Commons (public-domain)

What it is

Small, glossy red berries from a low trailing shrub (Vaccinium macrocarpon) grown in bogs in North America. They are hollow and bounce when fresh, and are far too sour to eat raw by the handful. They are sold fresh in autumn and frozen all year; dried cranberries are sweetened and are a different product.

Vaccinium macrocarpon

How it’s used

Simmered with sugar into cranberry sauce for turkey
Raw relish blitzed with orange and sugar
Baked into muffins, scones and loaf cakes
Juiced or made into compotes and chutneys

Characteristics

Taste: Sharply sour and slightly bitter, with a clean fruity aroma once sweetened.
Texture: Firm and crisp raw; they pop and collapse when heated.
Appearance: Glossy, deep-red berries 1–2 cm across; good ones are firm, never shrivelled.
When cooked: High in pectin: a few minutes' boiling with sugar makes them burst and set into a soft jelly as they cool.
Sold as: fresh, frozen, dried
Cooking uses: Commonly cooked, Suitable for baking
Common in: American, Canadian, British