Every place in the world is characterized by a typical dish or a recurrent food in the preparation of food: so in Italy are famous pasta and pizza, in Spain the paella and in Belgium the fries with mussels. But why are strawberries so famous in Wimbledon? Maybe some monarch has spread the fashion, or is it very common in England togrow strawberry plants? Let’s try to dispel the myth and see why Wimbledon strawberries are so famous all over the world.
Strawberries in the land of tennis
The Grand Slam of Wimbledon is one of the most important events of the tennis season, but not only that: the famous English tournament is also known worldwide for the dress code of participants (tennis players have to dress total white) and invited and for its official food, strawberries indeed. During the tennis tournament and the social events that surround it, the big strawberries with cream are absolutely the most requested and appreciated food, all accompanied by Pimm’s, an English drink made with ginger ale, fruit and mint leaves. But why the strawberries?
Experts say that during the tennis tournament at Wimbledon, about 1.5 million strawberries are consumed: an exorbitant amount if you think that the Grand Slam lasts only two weeks. The duo tennis-strawberries dates back to the ‘800, specifically in 1877, the year of the first Wimbledon tournament. According to some, in fact, since the birth of this event, strawberries were the protagonists because we tended to associate this fruit with the beginning of the good weather. Being the British Grand Slam organized during the summer, according to some sources, associating strawberries to the tournament was a way to start the good weather. Difficult to confirm (or deny) this theory, because unfortunately there are no written documents. What is certain, however, is that strawberries with cream have become, over the decades, one of the distinctive symbols of the Wimbledon tournament.
Strawberries with cream: invention in Wimbledon?
Organic strawberries, large, red and with a strong flavor combined with cream are the forbidden dream of many. Excellent as a dessert, as a snack or to be tasted in the Wimbledon stands: this combination really brings everyone together, old and children. The most famous strawberry fruit with cream are probably those of Wimbledon, but who was the inventor of this dessert so loved? According to some sources, it seems that the first strawberries served with the cream dates back to the 16th century, during a banquet at the Cardinal Wolsey home or during a reception at the court of Henry VIII. Unfortunately, we don’t know for sure where this approach comes from, but we can say that whoever was the inventor had a really brilliant idea.
