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Maritime Berries: Profiles, Facts, and More!
Author: Siobhan Rollo
Canada is home to many different kinds of unique treats- maple syrup normally comes to mind. What a lot of folks don’t know is that Canada’s peoples have lots of delicacies that can’t be found outside of North America. Many of them are berries.
In this article, you’ll be able to discover the hidden treasures of the Maritimes, their appearances, what they taste like, and some of the significance behind each one.
Bakeapple
AKA: Salmonberry, cloudberry, yellow berry, “Baked apple berry”
A bakeapple is a small, yellow fruit that resembles a raspberry. While it may look like a raspberry, it actually tastes like a cranberry smothered in honey. This tiny golden berry is rich in vitamins A and C, as well as fibre.
Canadians call it a bakeapple, namely for two reasons- one, its flavour resembles a baked apple, but the common belief is that it came from the phrase: “baie qu’appelle?”, which translates to “what is this berry called?”.
In Canada, the bakeapple is a common delicacy in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as Quebec. However, some of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, such as the Inuit, also collect them as winter preservatives.
Other parts of this world are fans of this berry as well, but it notably only grows in cold climates. In Canada we use it for desserts, preserves, and even as flavouring for alcohol, such as bitters or wine. Newfoundlanders also use it as an additive for beer flavouring.
Other parts of the world use it in similar fashions, such as Scandinavia which uses it in very similar fashion as we do, mostly using it to flavour alcohol and desserts.
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Partridgeberry:
AKA: Twinberry, running box, pigeon plum, lingonberry, cowberry, fox berry, mountain cranberry.
This berry by many names is most commonly known as a lingonberry. While different parts of the world know it by different names, Canadians are proud to call it a partridgeberry.
This berry is a relative of the cranberry and has a similar flavour profile. Others have described partridgeberries tasting like tart cherries. This berry is high in vitamin C, as well as antioxidants.
In Canada, this berry grows from Newfoundland and Labrador all the way to Ontario.
Canada’s Indigenous peoples also used this berry as a herbal medicine. Cherokee people have notably used it as folk medicine. Common uses included prenatal health, fluid retention, and occasionally as a fever reducer. Now it’s used as a common berry in jams, desserts, cakes and more!
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Crowberry:
AKA: Moss berry
This Canadian berry is almost exclusively found in the Northern Hemisphere. It grows in bogs and other area with highly acidic soil.
The crowberry is high in antioxidants, vitamin C, and fibre. It can be eaten both raw and cooked, and is a common berry used in jams, pies, and other baked goods. It has a similar taste to a blackberry.
The crowberry was another berry used by Indigenous peoples as medicine. It was mainly used as a detox for the kidneys and bladder.
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Squashberry:
AKA: High bush cranberry, low bush cranberry, moose berry
This tiny red berry is known to most Canadians as a squashberry. With a flavour somewhere between a blueberry and a cranberry, this berry is a popular additive to jelly and jams, cakes, and other baked goods. It is eaten both raw and cooked.
The squashberry is found across Canada, as it likes to grow in colder temperatures.
Some of Canada’s Indigenous peoples used it as a folk medicine. The berries were consumed to relieve tooth pain, throat pain, and sore lips. The bark and juice were also consumed medicinally.
The Haida people believe that this berry is food for supernatural beings.
Bibliography:
https://liveruralnl.com/2011/04/12/squashberry-jam-from-grandmother-pearl/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viburnum_edule
https://www.darktickle.com/content/11-squashberry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empetrum_nigrum
https://www.darktickle.com/content/10-crowberryd
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MIRE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccinium_vitis-idaea
https://chestnutherbs.com/partridge-berry/
https://www.britannica.com/plant/cloudberry
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