The Bottom Line: Quick facts about strawberries!
The Full Story:
- Strawberries are the only fruit with seed on the outside, the average strawberry has 200 seeds.
- Strawberries are members of the rose family.
- 94% of U.S. household consume strawberries.
- Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring.
- There is a museum located in Belgium dedicated to just strawberries.
- Americans eat 3.4-pounds of fresh strawberry every year plus another 1.8-pounds of frozen strawberry per capita.
- Ancient Romans believed strawberries had curative properties and could be used to treat anything from fainting to fever to kidney sores to sore throats. Sort of how the old man in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” thinks about Windex.
- One folk tale says that if you take a double strawberry, cut it in half, and share it with another person you will fall in love. This fact seems pretty obvious – giving away food is a huge emotional commitment.
- Madame Tallien, a lady at the court of Emperor Napoleon loved to bathe in the juice of fresh strawberries. Using 22-pounds of strawberries per bath, I would imagine she was not able to bathe very often. No judgment. (Actually – a LOT of judgment).
- In France, strawberries were believed to be an aphrodisiac. A soup of strawberries, thinned sour cream, borage, and powdered sugar was served to newlyweds.
- Strawberries are rich in nitrates and can increase the flow of blood and oxygen to the muscle by 7%, which prevents muscle fatigue and makes exercise easier.