Berries: Nature's Natural Desserts

The last child has left the house for school. The table is clean and neatly set, and the coffee is brewing. The cool orange juice stands like a sentry over the tableware. Mother sits down, pours cereal into a bowl, and sprinkles it lightly with sugar. She is then ready for the final masterpiece. She carefully spoons pre-cut ruby red strawberries onto the mound of golden corn flakes. Pouring ivory-white milk over the concoction, Mother smiles to herself. An attractive, nutritious breakfast fit for a queen.
　　Most people around the world are now familiar with and can enjoy strawberries, but few are familiar with other, more exotic berries, such as the gooseberry, blackberry, and raspberry.Indeed, even fewer people realize what the word berry technically refers to. The berry of the botanist and the berry of the public are often two quite different fruits.
　　Those whose specialty is plants define a berry as a simple, fleshy fruit with a thin wall and many seeds. Under this classification are several surprises. One would expect that cranberries are berries, of course, but less obvious members of this class are dates, grapes, tomatoes, and even potatoes, bananas, and asparagus! Indeed, according to botanists, some popular "berries" are not true berries at all. Experts in plant life consider the blueberry an "inferior berry" and the strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry an "aggregate fleshy fruit." However,no matter how scientists call them, most people think of berries as small, round, sweet, and delicious fruits.
　　Berries such as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries prefer cool and moist growing conditions. Though they rarely thrive in tropical conditions, they can be grown on the sides of taller hills and mountains there. Several species of wildlife forage for berries, the largest of these being the bear. Some smaller mammals and birds, too, enjoy berries, not to mention people. Wild berries are noticeably smaller than their domesticated cousins, but many people prefer the full, rich taste of freshly picked forest berries.
　　Besides being a condiment on breakfast cereals, are there any other uses for berries? Westerners make good use of their local fruits. Jellies, jams, and preserves can be easily made with berries, gelatin, and sugar. These three sweetened foods differ only in the process used to make them. Jellies are made from the juice of a fruit, jams from the thoroughly crushed fruit, and preserves from the partially crushed or cut fruit. They are all equally delicious!
　　Berries are also used in baked goods. Pies and tarts often contain berries as do many other pastries. These small fruits are also added into cakes and even breads, especially after drying. In addition, the concentrated juice of berries can be used to make cool summer drinks. Concentrated further, various syrups can be added to foods as diverse as pancakes and ice cream. As flavorings, they are often added to candies and chocolates. In Western cuisine, life would be less sweet and interesting without the humble berry.
　　For some people, though, berries are best eaten fresh. They say that after washing and refrigerating, simply place a generous portion of berries into a cereal bowl, add chilled milk, and top with sugar. Enjoy! As the season for berries is usually in the summer and fall, this snack or dessert really hits the spot. For those who do not live where berries grow naturally and plentifully, these natural dessert fruits can be enjoyed while visiting those areas lucky enough to have them.

　　最后一个孩子也上学去了。餐桌已收拾干净且摆放整齐，咖啡正煮着，而柳橙汁好像站岗似的守卫着餐具。母亲坐下来倒了些早餐脆片在碗中，然后稍微洒了些糖。这时她已准备好要完成她的杰作。她小心地舀了些已切好如红宝石般的草莓，放在金黄的玉米脆片堆上，再浇上象牙白的牛奶以后，母亲自顾地笑了。好一份适合女王享用而诱人的营养早餐。
　　世界上大多数人现在都熟悉草莓，而且吃得到草莓，但却很少有人知道其它较具异国风味的浆果，例如醋栗、黑莓及覆盆子等。事实上，了解浆果其学理意义的人就更少了。植物学家所指的浆果和一般大众口中的浆果通常是两种颇为不同的果类。
　　专门研究植物的人将浆果定义为皮薄多籽而果肉丰富的单一果类。以此分类会产生一些令人料想不到的事。任何人都理所当然会认为蔓越橘是浆果类，但在上述定义中较不明显的同类还包含了枣子、葡萄、蕃茄，甚至还有马铃薯、香蕉及芦笋！一点儿也没错，根据植物学家，部分常见的“浆果”根本名实不符。这些植物专家视蓝莓为“较低等的浆果”，而草莓、覆盆子及黑莓则为“聚集多果肉的果类”。然而不论科学家如何称呼，大多数人仍认定浆果就是小小圆圆又甜甜的美味水果。
　　像草莓、黑莓、覆盆子及蓝莓之类的浆果都喜好湿冷的生长环境。虽然它们在热带环境中极少长得很茂盛，但在热带地方较高的山坡和高山旁还是能够生长。有些种类的野生动物以采食浆果为生，其中以熊的体积最大。有些小型哺乳动物或鸟类亦喜食浆果，更别说人类了。野浆果明显比人工培育的浆果来得小，但许多人还是比较喜欢刚摘下的森林浆果那种浓郁的味道。
　　除了作为早餐脆片的佐料以外，浆果还有其它用途吗？西方人很会利用他们当地所产的水果。用浆果、洋菜和糖很容易就制作出果冻、果酱以及蜜饯。这三种甜食惟一的差别仅在于制造过程。果冻是由水果榨汁而成，果酱来自于完全压碎的水果，而蜜饯则以半压碎或切过的水果制成。三种都一样好吃极了！
　　浆果亦用于烘烤食品中。派和馅饼常以浆果为馅，而许多糕饼类亦然。这些小果实也常被加在蛋糕或甚至面包中，尤其是在风干以后。此外，浓缩的浆果果汁亦可调制出夏日冷饮圣品。若再进一步浓缩便可制成各种糖浆，从薄煎饼到冰淇淋都可添加使用。作为调味品，则可加在糖果或巧克力中。在西方的烹调料理中，若没有这谦卑的浆果，生活便不会那么甜美有趣了。
　　不过对有些人而言，浆果还是新鲜的最好吃。他们说在清洗、冰镇后，将一大把浆果放入早餐脆片的碗中，加入冰牛奶，再撒上糖，那真是好吃的不得了！由于浆果通常盛产于夏秋两季，而这样的点心或甜点在这两个季节里真是再恰当不过了！对那些不住在浆果盛产地的人来说，当他们拜访这些幸运拥有它们的地方时，还是可以享用这些天然的水果点心。