Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2019-07-29)

61

Not many ingredientscan
bouncecomfortablyamong
theworldsofhealthyfast-
casual bowls,boozybrunch
cocktails, and elaborate
Michelin-starred menus
while also maintainingcredi-
bility in the beautyaisle.But
perhaps theprettiestentry
in this tiny category,which
includes turmericandaçai
berries, is seabuckthorn.
The vibrantberrycomes
in a range oforangesand
reds and is the Nordic
answer to ahit oflemon.
Behind its tartness, the
pulpy fruit hasa lightcar-
roty sweetness;if youeata
whole one, itpopstantaliz-
inglyinyourmouth.
It’salsoespecially rich
invitaminC (about 12 times
as much as anorange)and
vitamins. Unlikemostplant
foods, sea buckthorncon-
tains B12, a nutrientusually
found in animalproducts,
making it popularwithveg-
etarians. It’salsooneofthe
few edible plantsthathasallfouromegafatty
acids, whichcanpromotecollagengrowth.Inskin
products, theberryextractis oftenappliedtosun-
burns becauseit’sthoughttoeaseinflammation.
The sea buckthornbushisnativetoAsiaand
Europe and hasanaffinityforsandysoil.It grows
in places as diverseastheHimalayas,Russia,and
the CanadianprairiesaroundManitoba.Itsber-
ries ripen inthefallbutarechallengingtohar-
vest because,truetoitsname,thebushesare
thorny. AlexanderCruz,a partnerinEcole-B,a
Quebec-basedspecialtyfoodmarketing com-
pany that sourcesNorth Americanproducts,

FOOD BloombergPursuits July 29, 2019

says that harvesters wait for

the branches to freeze and

then shake the berries off.

He estimates that demand

has grown tenfold in the

past decade and lauds the

berries’ versatility: “With

strawberries and blueber-

ries, there’s just one or two

varieties. Sea buckthorn has

around 20, more like apples,

with flavors that range from

0% acidity, like passion fruit,

to super bitter, super tart.”

But since they’re hard to

harvest and shipped frozen,

they can top $15 a pound.

In spite of the expense,

sea buckthorn has crept

onto menus in New York,

where ABCV chef Neal

Harden features the juice in

a breakfast smoothie bowl.

“There’s lots of talk about

things like açai, but buck-

thorn grows closer to home,”

he notes. “It also has a tropi-

cal fruitlike funk to it and a

bracing acidity.”

Emma Bengtsson, chef at

Michelin two-starred Aquavit, features the berry in

her signature Arctic Bird’s Nest dessert with blueber-

ries and goat cheese. “I needed something yellow

to symbolize the egg yolk that could also brighten

up the richness of the goat cheese parfait,” she says.

At his San Francisco live-fire grill, Prairie, chef

Anthony Strong uses it in a healthy-ish gin cocktail

made with Cocchi Americano, lime, and ginger. He

first mixed it with alcohol at a Beyoncé show, hence

the drink’s name: Becky With the Good Hair. “This

is exactly the type of drink Becky would drink

four of at brunch,” he says. “It’s both cool and not

cool—a detox and a retox.” <BW>

Thisrichlittlefruithastheversatilityofanappleandmore

vitaminC than an orange—and it’s priced for the very few

By Kate Krader Photograph by Danny Kim

The New Berry on the Block

INSIDER INGREDIENT

BeckyWiththe

GoodHair

Ina blender,puree 1 cup

seabuckthornberries

with 2 tbsppeeled,

choppedfreshginger,

2 tbspsugar,and 2 tbsp

lime juice until smooth.

Transfertoa cocktail

shakerfilledwithice

andadd 3 oz.ginand

3 oz. Cocchi Americano.

Shakewellandpour

througha strainer.Top

with 2 oz. chilled club

soda. Serves 4.