Europe had its own native strawberry (F.
vesca and F. moschata), which is now called
the “wild” strawberry or fraise de
bois(“woodland strawberry”), even though it’s
cultivated. This strawberry was mentioned in
Roman literature, subsequently cultivated, and
by the 15th century had a wonderful fragrance
but was still small, pithy and unproductive.
Early European visitors to North America
were impressed by the size and vigor of an
American species, F. virginiana, and brought
it back to Europe. Then a Frenchman by the
stunningly appropriate name of Frézier found
the walnutsized fruits of another New World
species, F. chiloensis, growing in Chile, and
took that species to France in 1712. Around
1750, in the strawberry-producing area around
Plougastel in Britanny, an accidental hybrid
between the two American species arose.
Then across the Channel in England, a natural
mutant of the Chilean species arose, large and
pink, with a shape and aroma reminiscent of
barry
(Barry)
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