Strawberry tree fruit

What it is

Arbutus unedo belongs to the heath family. Its round berries measure about 1.3–2.5 cm (½–1 in) across, with a rough surface, and they look like strawberries.

The colours change slowly: green, then yellow, orange and finally bright red. Fully ripe fruit feels a little squishy. Inside, the flesh has a light, pear-like flavour and a mealy texture.

Where it comes from

The strawberry tree comes from the Mediterranean and western Europe. Portugal’s Caldeirão and Monchique hills, along with the hills of central Portugal, have long traditions of gathering and distilling the fruit. In the United States, it also grows as a garden tree in the Pacific Northwest, where it tolerates dry summers.

How it's eaten where it grows

In the Algarve, fermented medronho fruit is distilled into a spirit. Mixed with honey, that spirit makes melosa. It also flavours Portuguese borrachões, small dry biscuits. Ripe fruit goes into jam.

Bolo de medronhos brings the fruit into a cake: whole berries bake in an almond batter. One Portuguese version finishes with a medronho topping cooked with lemon and cinnamon, then strained to remove the hard seeds.

How it's grown

This evergreen grows as a shrub or small tree. It accepts sun or partial shade and needs soil that drains; established plants tolerate drought. Around Marmelete in Portugal, gathering the crop is careful handwork. Pickers take ripe berries one by one, then return two or three weeks later for fruit that was still green.

When and where you'll find it

In the hills around Monchique, picking usually runs through autumn into December. Fresh berries bruise easily, so the tree is seldom grown for fresh fruit; in Portugal the crop goes mostly to spirit. Jam and medronho spirit offer other ways to meet the fruit. Casa do Medronho in Marmelete offers booked distillery visits with tastings of the spirit and local products.