Michay

What it is

The round berries are about 7–8 mm (⅓ in) across, with a waxy surface and 3 to 6 seeds inside. Their colour ranges from blue through dark purple to plum red. The shrub has stiff, glossy leaves with spiny edges, much like tiny holly leaves.

Where it comes from

Michay grows naturally in Argentina and in Chile, from Santiago province south to General Carrera province. Chileans also call it mechay or quelung. Its botanical name is Berberis darwinii.

William Lobb brought it to Europe in 1849, and it became a popular garden shrub. In Clontarf, Dublin, one front garden was hidden from the street by a tall, dense michay hedge.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Chile, michay berries are eaten raw or turned into sweets and refreshing drinks with sugar. Javiera Díaz’s pulpa de frutos de michay starts with berries barely covered in water. They are cooked, mashed and strained to remove the seeds. The pulp becomes a filling for chocolates, cakes and pastries, or a drink with cold water.

In Irish gardener Ciaran Burke’s kitchen, the berries become a strained jelly with sugar and lemon juice, spread on a scone.

How it's grown

Michay keeps its leaves through winter. Clusters of orange-yellow flowers open in spring. In Chile the arching, densely branched shrub grows up to 1.5 m (5 ft); garden plants reach 1.5–3 m (5–10 ft). It spreads through underground stems, building a thicket, and grows in sun or partial shade in well-drained soil. Bees and butterflies visit the flowers; birds come for the berries.

When and where you'll find it

In southern Chile, michay flowers from September to February, most of all in October. The berries usually ripen from November to January, with the biggest crop in December.

Michay also has a place in Chilean chicha. With calafate, it is among the most important fruits for this drink, made by letting the juice ferment on its own.