To continue this Christmas series on iconic foods, I’ve chosen to tackle a great favorite in North America (and elsewhere, I suppose!): the cranberry. Where does the famous cranberry jelly that goes so well with turkey and meat pies come from?
As with my article on the Christmas pickle published a few weeks ago, I was a bit disappointed when I researched the history behind this holiday food… I was expecting to discover a relevant and fascinating anecdote! But in the end, it seems that cranberry and turkey go well together… that’s all!
A Wild Fruit Native to North America
I have a confession to make: I hated this condiment for a long time… until I ate a homemade version. Like so many things, canned cranberry jelly isn’t edible! Homemade makes all the difference! So my love for this jelly is fairly recent.
Honestly, all North Americans should learn to cook cranberries. It’s a little local fruit that, granted, may not grow in your garden, but it’s local.
But Audrey… I don’t like cranberries.
I know, on its own, it’s not great. And that’s why you have to tame this ingredient. Browse through recipes and discover how to prepare this wonderfully healthy fruit with amazing preservative properties.
The First Nations used cranberries to treat scurvy: half a cup of this fresh fruit a day is enough to meet an adult’s daily vitamin C requirements. Tired of citrus? Now’s your chance! What’s more, it’s a fruit that alleviates the symptoms of urinary tract infections, ulcers and many oral problems: wow!
To find out more about the effects of cranberries on your health, check out this website.
In short, cook with cranberries. It’s local and good for you.
Link to Christmas
I’ve searched and searched, but there doesn’t seem to be any particular origin linking this fruit to our festivities. The first written record of this accompaniment (which may seem strange) comes from a 1796 book: the very first American cookbook. It includes a recipe for turkey to be “served with cranberry sauce”. So, that’s the origin of this famous jelly…!
Still, I dare to speculate that since it’s local and easy to preserve, it was more accessible than the mango, also suggested in the book.
Still, I’ve got a nice Christmas fun fact for you (to make up for the lack of cranberry connection to Christmas, you know!)!
Turkey for Christmas
Do you know why we eat turkey at Christmas? It used to be traditional to eat poultry for this holiday. The first ships that imported turkey to Britain were… you guessed, from Turkey!
In short, turkey replaced goose at the tables of Europe’s wealthiest citizens, since this new poultry was exotic, expensive and, therefore, a symbol of wealth.
Let’s face it, traditional turkey is dry 90% of the time… The king’s cooks must have known cooking secrets we don’t even know about to make a menu worthy of replacing the goose!