The First Recorded Recipe For Strawberry Shortcake Appeared In 1588

National Strawberry Day falls on February 27 every year, adding an extra aphrodisiac to this month of love. Devilishly sweet and also delightfully low in calories, they’re the perfect food to make you feel naughty and nice at the same time.

Grown both around the U.S. and around the world almost year-round, you’re never far from a supplier of this tasty tongue-tickler to help you celebrate National Strawberry Day!

• 1300s – The French take the wild strawberry from the forest and into their gardens for harvesting.
• 1500s – Botanists begin naming different species of strawberry, and it is used widely for medicinal purposes.
• 1712 – The French Spy Amédée-François Frézier travels to Chile and learns of the sweeter beach strawberries, which he later introduces to Europe.
• 2000s – Commercial strawberry producers increase demand by cultivating the fruit to enhance its sweet smell, size, color, and shape like a heart.
• There are a few different stories behind the name’s origin. The more widely accepted version is that the berries would drop off the leaves and become “strewn” about the plant. Over time, “strewn-berries” became “strawberries”.
• There was a time (and some gardeners still do this today) when strawberry beds were mulched with straw, insulating the plants over the winter, keeping weeds at bay during the growing season, and making them easier to harvest.
• Another sweet story tells of English children stringing the berries on grass straws and selling the “straw berries” in their neighborhoods.
• One of the more aromatic fruits, they belong to the rose family.
• Due to its heart-shaped shape and rich red color, the strawberry symbolizes love and is commonly associated with Venus, the Goddess of Love.
• There are over 600 different species and subspecies of strawberries.
• Belgium has a museum dedicated to the strawberry.
• The ancient Romans believed strawberries had medicinal properties that could cure depression, kidney stones, and a sore throat.
• Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring.
• According to the USDA, Americans eat 3.4 lbs. of fresh strawberries a year.
• Americans also eat another 1.8 lbs. of frozen strawberries a year.
• One acre of land can grow about 50,000 pounds of strawberries.
• California produces nearly 80% of America’s strawberries.
• About 1 billion pounds of the berry is produced annually in California alone.
• 10 million baskets of strawberries are shipped daily during harvest time in California.
• If all the strawberries produced in California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around the world 15 times.
• 94% of US households consume strawberries.
• Florida is second in production, with about 5,000 commercial acres.
• North Carolina ranks third, with about 1,600 acres.
• Every plant is hand-picked about every three days.
• Native Americans were eating strawberries way before Europeans landed in North America.
• The flavor is influenced by weather, variety, and ripeness when harvested.
• The fear of strawberries is called fragariaphobia.
• There are about 200 seeds on the outside of an average strawberry.
• One medium-sized strawberry contains about four calories.
• In Sweden, strawberries are a traditional dessert served on St John’s Day, also known as Midsummer’s Eve.
• In Greece, strawberries are usually sprinkled with sugar and then dipped in Metaxa, a famous brandy, and served as a dessert.
• Strawberries and cream is a popular dessert during the British summer, famously consumed at the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
• In Italy, strawberries have been used for various desserts and as a popular flavoring for gelato (gelato alla fragola)
•  The first recorded recipe for strawberry shortcake appeared in 1588 in The Good Huswifes Handmaid for Cookerie in her Kitchen, an English cookbook. The term “short” refers to the use of fat—such as butter or lard—which shortens gluten strands, resulting in a crumbly texture.
• The magnesium, potassium, and folate found in strawberries mean they encourage a healthy libido and make this romantic fruit an aphrodisiac for many.
• The Florida Strawberry Festival is held at the end of February
• May 21-27 is Strawberry Week in Delaware, celebrated annually.
• London, Ohio, holds a strawberry festival every June.
• Lebanon, Oregon’s annual strawberry festival, is home to the world’s largest strawberry shortcake.
• The first Polish fruit to be given protection under EU law is the Kashubian strawberry.
• Strawberries make the brain work better.
• Strawberries may aid in weight loss for the following reasons:
  • They are anti-inflammatory, helping the body effectively produce the hormones that keep you lean and regulate body weight
  • They increase the body’s production of adiponectin (hormone), which can stimulate your metabolism and suppress your appetite
  • They contain substances that control the rise of blood sugar that occurs as a result of eating a starchy meal

Sources

National Day Calendar

Foodimentary

Ag Hires

London Strawberry Festival

Just Fun Facts

One Hundred Dollars A Month

National Today