used in Persian cooking, where they provide
the tart rubies in a dish called jeweled rice.
Food Words: Berry, Strawberry
Berry comes from an Indo-European root
meaning “to shine,” perhaps for the bright
colors of many small fruits. The straw in
strawberry comes from a root for “to
spread, to strew.” Straw is the dried stalks
strewn about the field after the grain
harvest; perhaps strawberries were named
for the plant’s habit of spreading by means
of runners. A related cooking term is
streusel, an informally scattered topping
on baked goods.Other Temperate Fruits
Ground Cherry This is one name for a
couple of related fruits from low-lying plants
in the nightshade family, close relatives of the
tomatillo (p. 331). The Peruvian or Cape