What is the history of strawberries?

Answer 1

There are more than 20 species of strawberries, and they grow in most of the Northern hemisphere and South America. Some species were doubtless used in ancient and medieval Europe, but not in sufficient quantity to be recorded historically. The cultivation started with a North American species, the Virginia strawberry, and a South American species noted for size. They were bred together to produce a hybrid called the garden strawberry, most probably in Brittany in about 1740.

Answer 2

Strawberries were described in Rome around 200 BC, and a sketch of the plant was printed in 1484. Early publications described medicinal rather than culinary uses for strawberries. A 12th-century nun, Hildegard von Bingen, relied on faith rather than science, when she decided that strawberries were unfit to eat because they may have been contaminated by snakes and toads. Strawberries are also native to North America, where the early people did not cultivate them, because they were abundant in the wild. A variety was discovered in Central and South America, which the Spanish explorers called futilla. Jacques Cartier brought strawberries back to France from Quebec in 1534. In 1697 Jean de la Quintinie, the royal gardener at the Palace of Versailles under King Louis XIV, wrote about developing larger berries, preparing the soil, and dealing with insects. Louis XIV chose strawberries as his favorite fruit and even initiated a strawberry poetry contest. In the 18th century, a Virginia variety with good flavor and fruitfulness was crossed with a Chilean variety and became known as the Pineapple or Pine strawberry due to its distinctive flavor. The Hudson variety was developed in the United States in 1780. Large-scale cultivation of strawberries began in the early part of the 19th century, when strawberries became a popular dessert. In 1843, growers in Cinncinatti, Ohio, shipped the first refrigerated strawberries by placing ice on top of the boxes, which led to an increase in market area and a surge in popularity. New York began shipping strawberries in refrigerated railroad cars. Production spread to Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, and Tennessee. The first of many strawberry festivals was held in 1850. California now grows 75% of the North American crop.