Fresh strawberries are one of the favorite fruits especially for children, thanks to their delicate but at the same time decisive taste, and we can use them to prepare excellent dishes, desserts and fruit juices. In the market there are many varieties of strawberry, which we can buy at the supermarket, from the greengrocer or directly from the producers of strawberries, which usually do not deal only with sowing and harvesting, but also with the sale of this delicious fruit.
Strawberries are actually a much older and more mysterious fruit than one might think. So we can discover together 6 interesting facts about strawberries, starting from the question of whether strawberries can be considered a fruit or not, then passing through the history of this plant, to get up to a museum dedicated to them.
Is strawberry a fruit?
When we talk about strawberry, we usually refer to the fruits of the plants of the genus Fragaria, but in reality the strawberry is a false fruit: or rather, it is considered as fruit from the nutritional point of view, but not botanical. In fact, the real fruits of the strawberry are the achenes, the yellow seeds that are on the surface. Another peculiarity is that strawberries are the only fruits to have seeds on the outside.
Strawberries and roses: what do they have in common?
Apparently they seem to have nothing in common, but strawberries and roses belong to the same family. A distinctive feature is the very sweet scent that leaves the strawberry plant during flowering.
The ancient Romans were experts in strawberries
Strawberries are an ancient fruit, so much so that the Romans already knew them and they were greedy. Thanks to the volcanic composition of the Italian territory, the Romans cultivated the strawberries with great success: obviously the cultivation ones were more expensive, for which they were destined to the rich families of the city, while the plebeians were satisfied with wild strawberries. In addition to being an important dish in the diet of emperors and gladiators, strawberries were also used by the ancient Romans as remedies for diseases, such as depression and kidney stones.
Are strawberries good for you?
Feeding strawberries are a real cure for our body: rich in vitamin C, but also fiber, potassium and folic acid, they are excellent allies to prevent cardiovascular disease, keep our immune system high and help us to regularize the intestine, fighting constipation problems. In addition, strawberries are made up of about 92% of water, which makes them perfect for keeping us hydrated and, moreover, they have very few calories and for this reason they are always recommended in low-calorie diets.
The strawberry benefits are really numerous and more and more frequently this fruit is also used to produce face masks and exfoliating creams.
Aphrodisiac fruit
Fresh strawberries have always been considered, as are chocolate and oysters, one of the best aphrodisiac foods. They are excellent combined with champagne or a chocolate fondue and perfectly suited for a romantic evening with our partner. In France, the aphrodisiac power of strawberries is so important, that tradition has it that the bride and groom eat them as breakfast together the day after the wedding.
The Strawberry Museum
In Belgium you can find a museum entirely dedicated to strawberry and its history. The Musée de la Fraise is in fact located in Wallonia, in a park on the banks of the Meuse. Here you can buy everything you can imagine, obviously on the theme of strawberry: in fact you can find homemade jams, the typical strawberry beer, but also seedlings or even strawberry-shaped kitchen utensils.
This Belgian museum was completely renovated few years ago, and is now divided into five exhibition rooms dedicated to local history, the territory of Wepion and the cultivation and sowing of strawberries.
