A Bramble for Gourmets: The Wild Raspberry (Rubus Idaeus)
The night's restorative storm releases all the scents of wild nature. And you watch, and you breathe in this moment of peace.
Your eyes are immersed in all these shades of green and, suddenly, you perceive, in the nearby bushes bathed in light, a few red spots…and that sweet, very particular scent…Yes, they are indeed raspberries!
And now, for you, begins a great tasting experience!
It's hot, very hot, hot! The clear shade of the larches invites you to cool down, so, on the hillside, you take this little path that climbs, between bushes, towards the forest.
Where does its name come from?
Greek mythology tells us that a prophecy foretold that one of the sons of Cronus, king of Crete, would seize his throne. To retain power, he killed all his heirs. Rhea, Zeus's mother, hid him in a cave from the moment of his birth to protect him. His nurse, the nymph Ida, to calm him, for his crying would have given him away, picked raspberries, which were white at the time. She pricked herself on a bramble bush, and her blood flowed onto her breast. From white, the raspberry turned red. And, since that day, the legend says, all raspberries are red.
On a more serious note, history tells us that Pliny the Elder, the famous Roman naturalist who died in 79 AD, inspired by this legend, gave this raspberry a name: Rubus Idaeus, because, according to him, it only grew on Mount Ida in Crete. He was mistaken. This bramble grows wild throughout the Northern Hemisphere, especially in mountainous areas.
The great Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) retained, in his botanical works, the name Rudus Idaeus (Bramble of Mount Ida) in 1753, thus showing its belonging to the brambles, and evoking its name coming from Mount Ida in Crete.
Despite growing in abundance along roadsides, raspberries were not appreciated for centuries. It wasn't until the end of the 16th century that Pierre Jean-Baptiste Le Grand d'Aussy (1737-1800) mentioned raspberries in his "History of the Private Life of the French" in 1782. He tells us that, not being a noble fruit, they were eaten only by peasants, children, and beggars. And it wasn't until the 18th century that raspberries became popular in all social classes, both in red fruit salads and as jams.
Easy raspberry recipes
Where can wild raspberry bushes be found?
Native to Central Europe, the wild raspberry is a pioneer species. It establishes itself in an environment before any other plants. It is a bramble-like shrub that grows in large bushes up to 2000 m altitude in the Southern Alps. They are more resistant to severe cold than to extreme heat.
It is in scree slopes, on north-facing slopes, in forests, larch groves, beech and fir woods (provided there is enough light and moisture), in clearings and glades, on the edges of woods, that the small, delicate flowers with 5 white petals bloom in clusters. They will then give rise to dark pink fruits with a sweet, slightly tart, succulent, and fragrant taste!
Each fruit is a cluster of small, fleshy, red-pink balls called drupelets, each containing a seed.
Their stems are biennial, woody, and covered with fine thorns. The young shoots, or suckers, emerge from the ground in spring. They are tender and flavorful enough to be eaten in salads. It takes two years for the new stem to grow, develop, and bear fruit. After that, it dries out. They can be harvested from July to September, depending on the altitude and exposure. Once you've discovered a good raspberry patch, you can return to it every year.
Warning !
It is best to wash wild fruits. The lower branches of bushes are within reach of foxes, and their droppings can transmit a deadly liver disease: echinococcosis.
Freezing does not eliminate it. Only cooking at 60°C for 30 minutes will prevent the risk.
Its medicinal properties.
This plant is attributed with many medicinal virtues. All parts of the plant can be used: the buds, flowers, leaves, and young shoots.
The flowers are nectar-bearing. Our friends the mountain bees give us a sweet honey, rich in pollen that strengthens our immune system.
The fruits, low in calories (38 kcal/100g), are rich in vitamins C and E, magnesium, calcium, potassium, iron, folic acid, flavonoids and tannins, and antioxidants.According to naturopaths, raspberries are good for the heart, chronic diseases, and blood circulation. They aid in weight loss, are anti-inflammatory, and soothe pain (osteoarthritis). They may also slow down aging.
In current pharmacopoeia they are only used in syrup form to sweeten preparations intended for children.
The leaves are as rich in nutrients as the fruit. They have been used throughout history and are still used today in many forms: herbal teas, decoctions, infusions, mother tinctures, vinegar
Decoctions of the leaves are used as an antiseptic for wound healing, against stomach aches, indigestion, as a gargle for sore throats, as a poultice for canker sores and ulcers, and also to soothe pain and inflammation in cases of conjunctivitis and eye irritations.
Raspberry bushes are a friend to women because infusions of the leaves soothe menstrual pain and provide support before, during, and after pregnancy. They can also help with hormonal balance.
Raspberry vinegar was used against the plague in the Middle Ages, and it is still used as a gargle for sore throats.
Easy Raspberry Recipes
Raspberry Pavlova
A quick and easy recipe for 4 people.
200g of raspberries
2 large meringues
100g of mascarpone or fromage blanc or crème fraîche,
Chantilly. (Bomb or house)
2 tablespoons of icing sugar
1 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder
Wash the raspberries quickly to prevent them from becoming waterlogged and losing their flavor.
Whip the mascarpone or cheese or cream (or mixture of two ingredients)
Next, add the icing sugar and cocoa.
Place the meringues in a dish, spread the mixture, cover with raspberries, then with whipped cream and raspberry coulis.
Raspberry jam or jelly
1kg of raspberries.
700g sugar
6 pots
Mash the raspberries with a fork or blend them in a food processor. (For jelly, use a food mill to remove the small seeds.)
Pour the fruit and sugar into a cast iron casserole dish or a heavy-bottomed pot.
Mix over low heat.
Bring to a boil over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
As soon as foam appears, remove it for about 5 minutes with a skimmer.
Make sure the mixture does not stick.
Once the foam has almost disappeared, let it boil for 3 minutes.
Pour into jars. Wait a day or more. As soon as the jam or jelly has set, close the jar.
Raspberry coulis
250g of raspberries
50g sugar
4 tablespoons of water.
In a saucepan, mix sugar and water well over low heat.
As soon as bubbles appear, add the raspberries, crush, mix until cooked.
Remove from heat and pass through a chinois sieve, pressing well to extract as much coulis as possible.
Raspberry sorbet.
To make a delicious raspberry sorbet, blend 1 kg of fruit into a puree, add 500 g of icing sugar and the juice of one lemon. Place in the freezer for at least 3 hours.