Why Are Strawberries Called Strawberries?

Strawberries are one of the most popular fruits globally for children, adults, and the elderly - everybody likes their fragrance, aroma, and refreshing taste.

Strawberries are easy to grow, feature many health benefits, and are consumed both fresh and processed in juices, jellos, jam, cakes, etc.

However, from time to time, people also wonder why are strawberries called strawberries?

Published: May 9, 2022.

Why Strawberries?

There are several theories why strawberries are actually called strawberries, including:

- they are grown on the straw: although strawberries are very easy to grow, one of the most difficult activities is to prevent the fruit rot.

As soon as new, young strawberry touches the wet soil, it may start to develop root rot.

There are several ways of preventing the fruit rot, including mulching the strawberries with the straw which prevents the strawberries from touching the soil and keeps the young berries as dry as possible.

Hence the "Straw" + "Berries" = "Strawberries"

In modern times, straw is still used for protecting strawberries, but other means are used as well, including growing the berries in elevated pots so that the berries hang in the air without touching the soil, using the plastic strawberry supports, and similar.

- strewn over the soil patch: as strawberry plants grow, they produce the runners which spread themselves all around - the runners and hence the berry plants get "strewn" around.

Now, are strawberries called strawberries because they are "strewn berries", I am not sure, but letting runners spread and grow without control can cause many issues in the strawberry garden. But, it is possible ...

- impaled on a straw: kids and youth often pick berries and impale the strawberries on grass straws leading to their name "straw" + "berries".

Personally, this is the least possible explanation for many reasons - after all, many berries and other fruits are sold impaled on straws, thin thread, and similar. Not to mention that when strawberries get damaged, they must be consumed as soon as possible.

Long Story Short: as one can see, there are several opinions about why strawberries are called strawberries. Which is the real reason, is perhaps not that important.

Strawberries are easy to grow, they look very decorative in any garden and their taste is excellent ...