虎说百科｜我们吃下去的蓝莓，竟然是防腐剂

Originally prized by American Indians as a medicine and preservative, by the 21st century, this humble berry of the eastern regions of North America had acquired an international reputation as a fashionable "super food".

蓝莓最早被美洲印第安人视为珍贵的药物和防腐剂，到了 21 世纪，这种来自北美洲东部地区不起眼的浆果已经成为一种时髦的“超级食物”并闻名于世。

Blueberries are at the heart of many American Indian myths. According to one legend — possibly inspired by the star-shaped calyx at the base of each berry — the Great Spirit sent "star berries" to relieve hunger during times of famine.

蓝莓是很多美洲印第安神话的核心。或许是受到蓝莓底部星形花萼的启发，在一个传说里，伟大神灵送出了“星形浆果”来缓解饥荒。

American Indian tribes used both the berries and leaves (infused as a tea) as medicine. Dried berries were crushed and powdered then rubbed into the fat and flesh of buffalo to make the dried meat known as pemmican. This had excellent keeping qualities so it could be taken on long journeys and could sustain them through the harsh winters. 

美洲印第安部落将蓝莓的果子和叶子制泡成茶，作为药物来使用。干浆果被压碎制成粉末，揉进水牛肉中，制成干肉饼，人们称之为“肉糜压缩饼”。这种干肉饼贮存性极佳，人们可以在长途旅行中带上它们，也能靠着它们熬过严寒的冬天。

Dried blueberries also formed a key ingredient of a cornmeal pudding called sautauthig, which was later adopted by European settlers and may have formed part of early Thanksgiving feasts. During the American Civil War of 1861-65, blueberries were made into a drink to sustain the soldiers of the Union Army.

蓝莓干也是一种叫“sautauthig”的玉米粉布丁的关键配料，这道菜后来被欧洲定居者们所采用，或许还成为了早期感恩节大餐的菜品之一。在 1861-65 年的美国内战期间，蓝莓被制成饮料供联邦军士兵维持体力。

Blueberries begin to ripen from mid-summer onwards, changing colour from pale green to a dusty deep blue. They were originally harvested only in the wild, and were not grown commercially until 1911, when they were first cultivated in New Jersey, USA, by Elizabeth White, a farmer's daughter, and Frederick Coville, a botanist. The pair aimed to grow the berries on a large scale, and succeeded in bringing their first crop of cultivated berries to market in 1916. 

蓝莓从仲夏开始成熟，颜色从淡绿变成灰蒙蒙的深蓝。最初，蓝莓只能在野外采到。直到 1911 年，一位农民的女儿伊丽莎白·怀特和植物学家弗雷德里克·科维尔在美国新泽西州首次种植蓝莓成功，自此蓝莓才投入商业化种植。两人当时的目标就是要大规模种植蓝莓，并在 1916 年将他们栽培的第一批蓝莓成功推向市场。

By the 1940s, blueberries were being grown commercially in 13 US states. Blueberries are now cultivated in temperate regions with plenty of rainfall worldwide, including parts of Europe, where they were introduced in 1930. Japan joined the ranks of blueberry-growing nations in 1951.

到了 1940 年代，美国已经有 13 个州实现了蓝莓的商业种植。如今，蓝莓被栽培在全球降水充沛的温带地区。包括部分欧洲地区，欧洲在 1930 年就引入了蓝莓。日本在 1951 年加入了种植蓝莓的国家行列。

Today, blueberries are widely consumed as a fresh fruit. They are also processed into juice and used to make jams and conserves, or added to desserts. Numerous claims for the berries as a nutritional "powerhouse" and superfood have been made. These may be exaggerated, but blueberries remain one of the most popular berries in the US and Europe.

如今，蓝莓作为鲜果被广为食用。蓝莓也被加工成果汁，被制成果酱、果脯，或者是被加到甜点里。很多人把蓝莓称作“营养补给站”或者超级食物。这些说法或许略有夸大，但在美国和欧洲，蓝莓依旧是最受欢迎的浆果之一。