Cranberries are a curious fruit. Wait, is it a fruit or a berry? It's a berry. Moving on. What is it about cranberries that make them semi-relevant? We explored a few cranberry fun facts that you might not have known.
1. Cranberries Bounce
Ever see those OceanSpray commercials with the guy knee-deep in water surrounded by floating cranberries? Well, according to Ocean Spray, small pockets of air inside the fruit enable it to bounce and float. And on that note...
2. Cranberries Do Not Grow in Water
They grow on low-running vines in sandy bogs and marshes. They are primarily grown in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. It takes 16 months to grow cranberries.
3. Only 5% of Cranberries are Sold Fresh
Most of the cranberries we consume are from a can, aka cranberry sauce. Eating cranberries raw is fine, it just has an extremely bitter taste. Adding sugar and reducing it over heat helps make cranberries more enjoyable.
4. Cranberries Were Originally Called ibimi
The Pequot Indians of Cape Cod called the berry ibimi, meaning bitter berry. Yup they are bitter, alright.
5. Native Americans Used Cranberries as a Remedy
Back in the day, cranberries were used as food and medicine. According to Ocean Spray, Native Americans would combine cranberries, fat and ground venison to make a survival cake known as pemmican. Yummy, cake.
6. Cranberries are 90% Water
Hm, then why don't they call it waterberries? (Obviously, I think I'm clever). But yes, cranberries are made up of 90% water, which is why they're so heavy. For example, there are about 450 cranberries in a pound. That's a heavy berry.
7. Cranberries Can Help Whiten Your Teeth
Cranberries have natural flavonoids in them that can help prevent the growth of plaque, bacteria and gum disease, according to USA Today. That's if you eat them as a natural berry, otherwise, added sugar in cranberry juice and sauce is obviously not good for your dental hygiene.