Cultivation of red raspberry in history

The fruits are native to Eastern Europe and North Asia, raspberry Latin name Rubus idaeus means ‘bramble bush of Ida’ as name hold another story for its naming when the Olympian Gods were looking for berries on mount Ida.

The red raspberry is a unique berry with a rich history that dates back to the first century when the fruits were gathered from the wild by the people of Troy in the foothills of Mt. Ida.

The fruit was first mentioned by Pliny the Elder, in about 45 A.D. Pliny wrote about “Ida fruits" that were harvested from the slopes of Mount Ida in Greece. Raspberries were not cultivated at that time, but were collected from the wild, primarily for medicinal use.

Dioscorides, Greek physician and pharmacologist, was a native of Anazarbus in Cilicia. In his well-known herbal De Materia Medica, Dioscorides describes the medicinal properties of the Idaean raspberry.

It is believed that raspberries to be first cultivated by Romans somewhere around fourth century AD as expressed by Palladio Opus agricultureae and seeds have been discovered at Roman forts in Britain.

The Romans are thought to have spread cultivation throughout Europe. In medieval Europe, wild berries were used for medicinal purposes and their juices for paintings and illuminating manuscripts. By the mid 1600s, raspberries had become popular in London markets.
Cultivation of red raspberry in history

Red raspberry: Fruit history and nutrition

The genus Rubus is a member of the rose family (Rosaceae), which also includes important fruit crops such as apples, pears, cherries, peaches, plums, and strawberries. The red raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.) is a unique berry with a rich history that dates back to the first century when the fruits were gathered from the wild by the people of Troy in the foothills of Mt. Ida.

The Romans are thought to have spread cultivation throughout Europe. In medieval Europe, wild berries were used for medicinal purposes and their juices for paintings and illuminating manuscripts.

By the early nineteenth century, more than twenty cultivars of red raspberry were grown in England and the U.S. English cultivars exported to the U.S. were subsequently crossed with North American seedlings leading to improved cultivars.

Each raspberry flower contains from 60 to 160 ovaries. Each ovary contains two ovules, but one usually aborts after differentiation. About one month after pollination, the ovaries ripen simultaneously to form the fruit.

Raspberries are very rich sources of bioactive compounds such as phenolics, anthocyanins, organic acids, minerals, and more. The genus has also very high amounts of antioxidant compounds.

They are among the highest whole food sources of dietary fiber, providing 6.5 g/100 g of fresh weight, which on a calorie basis is 12.5 g/100 kcal. They also contain vitamin C, magnesium, and a variety of other nutrients, such as potassium, vitamin K, calcium, and iron.

The color of raspberry fruit is imparted by anthocyanins. The anthocyanin molecule in raspberry consists of cyanidin and pelargonidin with glucose attached at the 3-position.

Red raspberries are currently the most widely grown while black raspberries are most popular in certain regions of the eastern U.S. The progeny of black and red raspberries have purple fruits; these types are popular in eastern North America.
Red raspberry: Fruit history and nutrition

Domestication of raspberry in history

The history of raspberry consumption and domestication goes back to ancient times. The European raspberry is a native of Europe from Greece and Italy, north into Scandinavia and far eastward into Asia.

It was name for Mount Ida, in Asia Minor and was possibly more or less cultivated in southern Europe in ancient times. Fruits were gathered from the wild by the people of Troy in the foothills of Mount Ida around the time of Christ. Records of domestication were found in 4th century writings of Palladius, a Roman agriculturist and seeds have been discovered at Roman forts in Britain.

It is believed that Roman soldiers spread the cultivation of this plant throughout Europe. Raspberry gradually grew in popularity over the centuries, and by the 1500s, R. idaeus was cultivated all over Europe.

King Edward I is recognized as the first person to call for the cultivation of berries. By the 17th century, British gardens were rich with berries and berry bushes. In 1829, 23 raspberry cultivars were liste0 in the “History of English Gardening”.

It was early brought to America by colonists from Europe and prior to the middle of the nineteenth century was the only raspberry commonly cultivated in USA.
Domestication of raspberry in history

Early history of raspberry

There are three kinds of raspberry. The red raspberry and the black raspberry are the types which are most often grown. The yellow raspberry is cultivated only to a limited extent and more as a novelty than as a staple variety.

The raspberry has long been one of the important bush fruits of Europe. The world plant is native to Europe, and it was named Rubus Idaues by Linnaeus from Mt. Ida in Greece.

Pliny wrote that they called the raspberry ‘idaues’ because it grew thickly on the slopes of Mount Ida. The first people known to have cultivated raspberry were the ancient Greeks. The first recorded raspberry harvest was from Mt. Ida in AD 45.

Some have suggested that the Ide mountains in Turkey were the actual place of origin.

Record were found in 4th century writing of Palladius, a Roman agriculturist and seeds have been discovered at Roman forts in Britain; hence, the Romans probably spread cultivation throughout Europe. They also used raspberry for medicinal purpose throughout of Europe.

The British popularized and improved raspberries throughout the middles ages, and exported the plants to New York by 1771.

New York State Experiment Station began a breeding program for raspberry in the late 1800s. By 1925, 415 varieties were available and many thousands of acres of raspberries were grown throughout northeastern United States.
Early history of raspberry

Raspberry Fruit

Raspberry Fruit
The red raspberry was first cultivated about 400 years ago on European soil. Cultivation spread to England and the United States, where the native American raspberry was already well known.

In 1845, Dr. Brinkle of Philadelphia became the first successful producer of raspberry in United States and he originated many varieties. By 1870, this berry had become an important crop in the United States.

The red raspberry is native to the northern United States, and the black raspberry is found in the South. The purple raspberry is a hybrid between the red and the black, and did not become important until about 1900.

The raspberry has a wide range of color. A yellow raspberry is found growing wild in many areas, particularly in Maryland. The Asiatic species of raspberry has a color that ranges though red, orange, yellow, lavender, purple, wine, to black. Even white berries have been found in Alabama and Oregon, and lavender ones in North Carolina. In the West the wild black raspberry is often not quite black, but rather a deep wine in color.

The market berry is usually the cultivated berry and is not red and black. There are many varieties of each that are popular. The market supply runs from mid April through July, and the peak month is July.

A quality berry is plump, with a clean, fresh appearance, a solid, full color, and is usually without adhering caps. Berries with caps attached may be immature. Overripe berries are usually dull in color, soft, and sometime leaky.
Raspberry Fruit