Strawberry

The Greeks and Romans cultivated strawberries and it is believed they have been grown since prehistoric times. The strawberry is a delicious and popular, low calorie summer fruit rich in Vitamin C. Traditionally served with a splash of cream, strawberries are an ideal way to end a meal. However, they can be used in a host of dishes, both sweet and savoury and their natural colour and shape makes them ideal garnishing material. The Irish strawberry season has now been successfully extended through the use of new varieties and growing techniques. Processing and fresh market varieties are available.

Nutritional Value

Nutrient		Raw
Energy	kJ	113
	Kcal	27
Protein	g	0.8
Carbohydrate	g	6
Fat	g	0.1

How to Store

Store in cool and dry place or refrigerator.

Preparing and Using

Strawberries are usually eaten raw, just remove their stalks, wash them in potable water and serve. They can be sprinkled in sugar and served with cream, fromage frais or meringue shells. Add a drop of liqueur to the cream for an extra kick or macerate them first in balsamic vinegar or a strawberry liqueur for a different flavour.

Strawberries can also be stewed or baked into pies and are used to flavour or garnish foods such as pavlova, ice cream, cream, yoghurt and shortbread. They add colour to a fruit salad and can be used to garnish desserts,cakes, flans, starters, buffets and tables as wel las being a major ingredient of a host of different sweet and savoury dishes.

Other flavours that go well with strawberries include, apple, pear, almond, melon,blackberries, raspberries, blueberries,loganberries, mascarpone, ricotta, crème fraiche and balsamic vinegar.