Vaccinium vitis-idaea is a smallevergreen shrub in the heath family,Ericaceae. It is known colloquially as thelingonberry,partridgeberry,[a]foxberry,mountain cranberry, orcowberry. It is native toboreal forest andArctic tundra throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Commercially cultivated in the United StatesPacific Northwest[4] and theNetherlands,[5] the edible berries are also picked in the wild and used in various dishes, especially in Nordic cuisine.
Vaccinium vitis-idaea spreads byunderground stems to form denseclonal colonies.[6] Slender and brittleroots grow from the underground stems. The stems are rounded in cross-section and grow from 10 to 40 cm (4 to 16 in) in height. Leaves growalternately and are oval, 5–30 mm (1⁄4–1+1⁄8 in) long, with a slightly wavy margin, and sometimes with a notched tip.[citation needed]
Theflowers are bell-shaped, white to pale pink,3–8 mm (1⁄8–3⁄8 in) long.[7]V. vitis-idaea begins to produce flowers from five to ten years of age.[8] They are pollinated by multiple insect species, includingAndrena lapponica and several species ofbumblebee.[8]
The fruit is a redberry6–10 mm (1⁄4–3⁄8 in) across, with an acidic taste, ripening in late summer to autumn.[9] While bitter early in the season, they sweeten if left on the branch through winter.[10] Cytology is 2n = 24.[11]
Vaccinium vitis-idaea differs from the relatedcranberries in having white flowers with petals partially enclosing the stamens and stigma, rather than pink flowers with petals reflexed backwards, and rounder, less pear-shaped berries.[citation needed]Vaccinium oxycoccos is similar.[12]
Vaccinium vitis-idaea is most commonly known in English as 'lingonberry' or 'cowberry'.[13][14][15] The name 'lingonberry' originates from the Swedish namelingon ([ˈlɪŋɔn]ⓘ) for the species deriving fromOld Norselyngr, a cognate (thus also a doublet) to 'ling'.[16]
Thegenus nameVaccinium is aclassical Latin name for a plant, possibly thebilberry orhyacinth, and may be derived from the Latinbacca, 'berry'.[17][18] The specific name is derived from Latinvitis ('vine') andidaea, the feminine form ofidaeus (literally 'fromMount Ida', used in reference to raspberriesRubus idaeus).[19][20]
Worldwide,Vaccinium vitis-idaea is known by at least 25 other common English names, including:[13]
Vaccinium vitis-idaea keeps its leaves all winter even in the coldest years, unusual for abroad-leaved plant, though in its natural habitat it is usually protected from severe cold by snow cover. It is extremely hardy, tolerating temperatures as low as −50 °F (−45 °C) or lower, but grows poorly where summers are hot. It prefers some shade (as from a forest canopy) and constantly moist,acidic soil. Nutrient-poor soils are tolerated but notalkaline soils.[citation needed]
The berries collected in the wild are a popular fruit in northern, central and eastern Europe, notably in the Nordic countries,[28] the Baltic states, central and northern Europe. In some areas, they can be picked legally on both public and private lands in accordance with thefreedom to roam.[29]
The berries are quite tart, so they are often cooked and sweetened before eating in the form oflingonberry jam, compote, juice, smoothie or syrup. The raw fruits are also frequently simply mashed with sugar, which preserves most of their nutrients and taste. This mix can be stored at room temperature in closed but not necessarily sealed containers, but in this condition, they are best preserved frozen. Fruit served this way or as compote often accompanies game and liver dishes.[citation needed]
InSweden the traditionalSwedish meatballs are served with lingonberry jam alongside boiled or mashed potatoes and gravy sauce. In Sweden,Finland andNorway,reindeer andelk steaks are traditionally served with gravy and lingonberry sauce. Preserved fruit is commonly eaten with meatballs, as well as potato pancakes. A traditional Swedish dessert islingonpäron (literally 'lingonberry pears'), consisting of freshpears which are peeled, boiled and preserved inlingondricka (lingonberry juice) and is commonly eaten during Christmas. This was very common in old times[when?], because it was an easy and tasty way to preserve pears. In Sweden andRussia, whensugar was still a luxury item, the berries were usually preserved simply by putting them whole into bottles of water. This was known asvattlingon (watered lingonberries); the procedure preserved them until next season. This was also a home remedy againstscurvy.[citation needed]
This traditional Russian soft drink, known as "lingonberry water", is mentioned byAlexander Pushkin inEugene Onegin. In Russianfolk medicine, lingonberry water was used as a mild laxative. A traditional Finnish dish issautéed reindeer (poronkäristys) with mashed potatoes and lingonberries on the side, either raw, thawed or as a jam. In Finland, whippedsemolina pudding flavored with lingonberry (puolukkapuuro) is also popular. InPoland, the berries are often mixed withpears to create a sauce served with poultry or game. The berries can also be used to replace redcurrants when creatingCumberland sauce.[citation needed]
The berries are also popular as a wild picked fruit inEastern Canada, for example inNewfoundland and Labrador andCape Breton, where they are locally known as partridgeberries or redberries, and on the mainland of Nova Scotia, where they are known as foxberries. In this region they are incorporated into jams, syrups, and baked goods, such as pies, scones, and muffins.[citation needed]
In Sweden lingonberries are often sold as jam and juice, and as a key ingredient in dishes. They are used to make Lillehammer berry liqueur; and, in East European countries, lingonberryvodka is sold, and vodka with lingonberry juice ormors is a cocktail.[citation needed]
Alaska natives mix the berries withrose hip pulp and sugar to make jam, cook the berries as a sauce, and store the berries for future use.[30] TheDakelh use the berries to make jam.[31] TheKoyukon freeze the berries for winter use.[32]Inuit dilute and sweeten the juice to make a beverage, freeze and store the berries for spring, and use the berries to make jams and jellies.[33] TheIñupiat use the berries to make two different desserts, one in which the berries are whipped with frozen fish eggs and eaten, and one in which raw berries are mashed with canned milk and seal oil. They also make a dish of the berries cooked with fish eggs, fish (whitefish,sheefish orpike) andblubber.[34]
TheUpper Tanana boil the berries with sugar and flour to thicken; eat the raw berries, either plain or mixed with sugar, grease or a combination of the two; fry them in grease with sugar or dried fish eggs; or make them into pies, jam, and jelly. They also preserve the berries alone or in grease and store them in a birchbark basket in an underground cache, or freeze them.[35]
TheAnticosti people use the fruit to make jams and jellies.[36] The NihithawakCree store the berries by freezing them outside during the winter, mix the berries with boiled fish eggs, livers, air bladders and fat and eat them, eat the berries raw as a snack food, or stew them with fish or meat.[37] TheIñupiat ofNelson Island eat the berries,[38] as do the Iñupiat of the Northern Bering Sea and Arctic regions of Alaska,[39] as well as theInuvialuit.[40] TheHaida people,Hesquiaht First Nation,Wuikinuxv andTsimshian all use the berries as food.[41]
The Nihithawak Cree use the berries of theminus subspecies to colorporcupine quills, and put the firm, ripe berries on a string to wear as a necklace.[37] TheWestern Canadian Inuit use theminus subspecies as a tobacco additive or substitute.[40]
^Bunney, Sarah (1984).The illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs and their Medicinal and Culinary Uses (2nd ed.). New York: Dorset Press. p. 292.ISBN0-88029-774-3.
^Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979].The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 510.ISBN0-394-50432-1.
^abElden J. Stang; Gavin G. Weis & John Klueh (1990). "Lingonberry: Potential New Fruit for the Northern United States". In J. Janick & J.E. Simon (eds.).Advances in new crops. Timber Press. pp. 321–323.
^Rousseau, Jacques, 1946, Notes Sur L'ethnobotanique D'anticosti, Archives de Folklore 1:60-71, page 68
^abLeighton, Anna L., 1985, Wild Plant Use by the Woods Cree (Nihithawak) of East-Central Saskatchewan, Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series, page 64
^Ager, Thomas A. and Lynn Price Ager, 1980, Ethnobotany of The Eskimos of Nelson Island, Alaska, Arctic Anthropology 27:26-48, page 37
^Anderson, J. P., 1939, Plants Used by the Eskimo of the Northern Bering Sea and Arctic Regions of Alaska, American Journal of Botany 26:714-16, page 715
^abWilson, Michael R., 1978, Notes on Ethnobotany in Inuktitut, The Western Canadian Journal of Anthropology 8:180-196, page 183
^Compton, Brian Douglas, 1993, Upper North Wakashan and Southern Tsimshian Ethnobotany: The Knowledge and Usage of Plants..., Ph.D. Dissertation, University of British Columbia, page 101
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