SMART NEWS

A Brief History of Cranberries

Pucker up: Thanksgiving (and plenty of cranberry sauce) is almost here

Correspondent

November 25, 2015

You may not know it, but Vaccinium macrocarpon will probably be on your table this Thanksgiving. It’s not a virus—it’s the botanical name for the American cranberry, a fruit that shines next to a turkey, some mashed potatoes and some grateful, hungry guests. Here are some great moments in the history of this superfood:

1550: A Sour Staple

Cranberries were a staple for Native Americans, who harvested wild cranberries and used them in a variety of remedies, foods and drinks. National Geographic’s Sarah Whitman-Salkin writes that the berries were even used in an energy bar-like food called “pemmican,” which served as a vital source of nutrition for fur traders during the winter months.

1816: Commercial Cranberries

Commercial cranberry cultivation started in the United States in 1816. Shawnie M. Kelley writes that when Captain Henry Hall, a Revolutionary war veteran, came across a cranberry vine thriving in some sand on Cape Cod, he became the first person to successfully cultivate cranberries.

1912: Cranberries in a Can

Cranberry sauce may be a Turkey Day staple, but it wasn’t available in a can until 1912, when a lawyer named Marcus L. Urann revolutionized the industry got the idea to buy a cranberry bog and can cranberries. He eventually formed a cranberry cooperative that renamed itself Ocean Spray. By 1940, cranberry sauce had become the jiggly, canned log beloved (and argued over) by millions of Americans.

The Future: Sweet Cranberries?

They’re known for face-twisting tartness, but the cranberries of the future could be sweet. NPR’s Angus Chen writes that a new experimental variety of the fruit tastes sweet instead of sour—and it doesn’t require sugar to eat. Developed by researchers at The University of Wisconsin-Madison, the “Sweetie” cranberry is the result of decades of research. In the future, the “Sweetie” could very well turn the mouth-puckering novelty into a beloved snack food.