There are several myths and legends around raspberries. Traditional folklore recommends the use of the fruit’s leaf as tea for pregnant women, as it is suggested it may shorten the second stage of labour
Raspberries can be either red, purple, gold or black in colour. Golden raspberries are sweeter than the other varieties.
The difference between raspberries and blackberries is that raspberries have a hollow core in the middle while blackberries do not.
In the United States, about 90 per cent of all raspberries sold come from Washington, California and Oregon. In Canada, the province of British Colombia produces about 80 per cent of all raspberries sold in Canada.
There are over 200 species of raspberries.
When picking raspberries, look for berries that are firm and dark in colour. They should not be soft or mushy. Gently pull on the berry, if it does not come off easily then leave it on the bush, as the berry is not ripe enough yet.
They do not have any fat, saturated fat, sodium or cholesterol.
They are high in fiber, vitamin C, potassium and folate.
They are low in calories.
They can help lower high blood pressure.
Raspberries have an anti-inflammatory property that may help to reduce inflammation of the joints.
Raspberries are sold and produced throughout the world, which has given rise to myths about why raspberries are red and even one myth about the magical qualities of the fruit. One popular myth comes from France, which tells the story about how raspberries use to be only white in colour. The myth states that one day, a nymph named Ida was taking care of an infant Zeus (also referred to as Jupiter). Zeus was crying and to help soothe him, Ida picked some white raspberries. But when she went to pick the raspberries, she scratched herself on a thorn and started to bleed. Her blood dripped on the white raspberries, instantly turning them red and they have been red ever since.
Another myth, which originates from Germany, talks about the magical qualities of raspberries. It states that to tame a bewitched horse, one would have to tie a wild raspberry twig around the horse’s body.
A modern myth tells the story of how raspberries turned a fox’s fur red. In the Tale of the Raspberry Fox, by Henning Buchhagen, there is a fox named Ferdinand. At that time, all foxes were grey in colour. The tale tells how Ferdinand didn’t like to eat meat, so one day he decided to eat some raspberries and discovered that he loved eating them. He kept eating raspberries and the more he ate, the redder his fur became. Ever since then, all foxes have had red fur and like to eat fruit.
Most likely native to Asia, wild raspberries have been eaten since prehistoric times. Cultivation began in England and France, probably in the 1600s.
Traditional folklore recommends the use of raspberry leaf tea for pregnant women, it as it is suggested it may shorten the second stage of labour.