A picture of cranberries by Andrew Morrell on Flickr.com.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Instead of writing specifically about this holiday, I am going to write about a very American fruit that is customarily eaten on this day. I’m talking about the cranberry. If you don’t know what a cranberry is, you need to read this post; if you don’t know why cranberries are important on Thanksgiving, you need to read this post; and if you just want to something interesting to read, you should read this post!
Cranberries are tart, red berries, which grow on a shrub (shrub = a kind of bush). Cranberries are a fruit that is native to America, so they are considered a “new world” food. They grow best in cooler northern environments. They also grow in wet environments called “bogs.” A bog is wet muddy ground, similar to a swamp. Bogs occur on their own in nature, but they can also be made for farming purposes, such as for growing cranberries or rice.
When they are fresh cranberries have an acidic, bitter, or tart taste that most people don’t like very much on its own. They are very tart indeed, and usually need sugar to make them edible. Cranberries are often eaten in sauces or jams, which are usually made for Thanksgiving! Cranberry juice, which is sweetened with a lot of sugar is also popular. One of the most popular ways to eat cranberries today though is dried and sweetened. Dried cranberries are called Craisins. This word is a mix between the word cranberry and raisin (craisin), because dried cranberries look a lot like raisins.
A picture of a robot eating Craisins by Morgan on Flickr.com.
One of the reasons that cranberries are traditionally eaten with Thanksgiving dinner in the United States is because cranberries are harvested in the fall (not the summer) around the time of Thanksgiving. It is believed that cranberries were eaten at the first Thanksgiving dinner had by Native Americans and American pilgrims in the state of Massachusetts in 1621.
You might also be interested to know that cranberries are considered a “super fruit,” because they are full of antioxidants. They are also high in Vitamin C. Native Americans used cranberries to help heal wounds (i.e. cuts) and infections.
Although cranberries are native to North America, they are now grown in other countries, usually cold Northern Hemisphere countries. It may be hard to find cranberries near you if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, but if you are able to find cranberries, here is a very simple recipe for “cranberry sauce.” Cranberry sauce is sure to be on most Thanksgiving tables today in America and I for one will be thankful to eat it!
Cranberry sauce
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups (or 12-ounce) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest (zest = peel)
2 tablespoons water
Directions:
1. Put half of your cranberries into a saucepan with the sugar, orange zest, and water. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to medium and cook for 10 more minutes, until the cranberries burst (burst = break open).
3. Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the other half of the cranberries to cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Let cool before serving.
5. Enjoy!
