Download CRANBERRIE - American Culinary Federation

NOVEMBER | 2016
INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH
CRANBERRIES
Ingredient
of the Month
Presented by American Culinary Federation
Education Foundation
NOVEMBER | 2016
INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH
Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf
shrubs or trailing vines. They are low, creeping shrubs
or vines up to 7 feet long and 2 to 8 inches in height.
They have slender, wiry stems that are not thickly woody
and have small evergreen leaves. The flowers that
bloom from these plants are dark pink, with very distinct
reflexed petals, leaving the style and stamens exposed
Healthy Ingredient
Contribution
Raw cranberries have minimal levels of vitamin
C, dietary fiber and the essential dietary mineral,
manganese, as well as other essential micronutrients
in minor amounts. Because cranberries are tart by
nature, cranberry juice is primarily sweetened or
blended with other juices to reduce its tartness.
Cranberry juice cocktail has approximately one
teaspoon of sugar per ounce, making cranberry juice
cocktail more highly sweetened than even soda drinks
that have been linked to obesity.
Types and Varieties
Cranberries are related to bilberries, blueberries,
and huckleberries. These differ in having bell-shaped
flowers, the petals not being reflexed, and woodier
stems, forming taller shrubs. Some plants are
sometimes called highbush cranberries.
In North America, Native Americans were the first
to use cranberries as food. Native Americans used
cranberries in a variety of foods, especially for
pemmican, which is a concentrated mixture of fat and
protein used as a nutritious food with fruit added for
flavor. They have also been used as wound medicine,
and dye.
Calling the red berries Sassamanash, Algonquian
people introduced cranberries to starving English
settlers in Massachusetts who incorporated the
berries into traditional Thanksgiving feasts.
and pointing forward. Cranberry shrubs and vines are
pollinated by bees.
The berry itself is larger than the plant leaves and it
is also initially light green, turning red when ripe. The
cranberry is edible, with an acidic taste that can overtake
its sweetness.
Consumption
Cranberries are a major commercial crop in a number
of U.S. states. Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon,
Washington, and Wisconsin are major producers
of cranberries. The Canadian provinces of British
Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Nova Scotia,
Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Quebec
are also major producers of cranberries. British
Columbia’s Fraser River Valley region produces an
volume of 37.5 million pounds of cranberries annually
which is about 95% of total Canadian production. In
the United States, Wisconsin is the leading producer
of cranberries, with over half of U.S. production.
Massachusetts is the second largest U.S. producer
of cranberries.
NOVEMBER | 2016
INGREDIENT OF THE MONTH
Selecting and Storing
Interesting Facts
Cranberries for fresh market are stored in shallow bins
or boxes with perforated or slatted bottoms, which
deter decay by allowing air to circulate. Because
harvest occurs in late autumn, cranberries for fresh
market are frequently stored in thick walled barns
without mechanical refrigeration. Temperatures are
regulated by opening and closing vents in the barn as
needed. Fresh cranberries can be frozen at home, and
will keep up to nine months. They can also be used
directly in recipes without thawing.
Cranberries are harvested in the fall when the fruit
takes on its distinctive deep red color. Berries that
receive sun turn a deep red when fully ripe, while
those that do not fully mature are a pale pink or white
color. This is usually in September through the first
part of November.
American Revolutionary War veteran Henry Hall is
credited as first to farm cranberries in the Cape Cod
town of Dennis around 1816.
Culinary Uses
Most cranberries are processed into products
such as juice, sauce, jam, and sweetened dried
cranberries, they are also sold fresh to consumers.
Cranberry sauce is a traditional accompaniment to
turkey at Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom
and Thanksgiving dinners in the United States and
Canada. White cranberry juice is made from regular
cranberries that have been harvested after the fruits
are mature, but before they have attained their
characteristic dark red color. Cranberries are also
sold dried and sweetened. The berry is also used in
baking muffins, scones, cakes, breads, etc. In baking
cranberries are often combined with orange or orange
zest for a more robust flavor.
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