Strawberries are the most popular fruit in North America. They are grown all year round where they can be found both in supermarkets and at your local farmer’s markets. Strawberries come in different colors, shapes, sizes, and tastes. So what do strawberries taste like? This article will answer that question with tips on recipes and frequently asked questions about strawberries taste.
What do strawberries taste like?
When it comes to the taste of strawberries, there is no one-size-fits-all. Strawberries can taste differently depending on several FACTORS including, how ripe they are, how they were grown, and what variety they are.
We will break down the different tastes you can find in strawberries and explain why each is the case. Hang in tight!
Why are strawberries sour?
Firstly, strawberries contain citrus acid (88% of the acid content), so they are supposed to be mildly sour. If your fruits are excessively acidic, there are two likely causes of that problem:
Growing conditions
If the growing conditions do not allow the strawberry to fully develop, it’ll be very sour even after maturing. Conditions that may lead to this include rainy, cold, or cloudy weather conditions during the growing season. Also, if the temperatures are too high during the growing season, it may cause uneven ripening.
Strawberries do well in drained soils. If the soil is soggy, the sun levels are low, or if the strawberries are planted off-season, the fruits are likely to be sour or bitter.
Variety of the strawberry
When it comes to varieties, some are sourer than others. For example, the Ozark Wild strawberry is known for its tartness, while Sweet Charlie or Chandler strawberries taste sweeter.
If you’re confident that the growing conditions were ideal, but the fruits are sour than expected, you should check the variety you grew.
What do strawberries smell like?
Strawberries actually contain a couple of volatile compounds that contribute their aroma and flavor to your fruits. The main chemical compound is referred to as Furaneol.
While unripe strawberries have a low concentration of this compound, the ripening process increases their concentration. This is why ripe strawberries smell like Furaneol, while unripe ones don’t!
What’s more? The smell of Furaneol can be described as that of caramel and is also found in tomatoes and pineapples. The different and complex ripening processes and other chemical compounds contribute to the unique smell of strawberries.
How to make strawberries taste better?
There are a couple of things you can do to improve the flavor and taste of your fruits.
Roasting the strawberries in the oven
Then, cut up strawberries into slices and place them on the baking sheet as you go along. Finally, sprinkle some sugar over your berries before putting them in the oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until they’re soft to touch.
This method leaves the fruits sweeter, more profound, and richer in flavor, as well as slightly softened.
Baking with the fruit
You don’t have to force bland strawberries down the throat! You can use them in baking recipes, such as muffins and cakes. In the presence of heat and sugar, strawberries not only give your desserts a unique flavor but also enhance their taste immensely.
Cook jam with the fruits
Strawberry jam is a great and delicious way to use your fruits. The watery fruits, once cooked with sugar into a jam, become a sweet and bright-tasting treat. This spread can be used as an ingredient in many recipes, such as cheesecakes, pancakes, or even cookies.
How to make strawberries taste sweeter?
The simplest solution would be macerating the fruits and adding sugar. Simply chop up the berries into slices and scoop a tablespoonful of sugar (or your favorite sweetener) onto each of them. Give it a good mix and let the berries rest for 20 minutes before eating or using them in recipes, breakfast cereals, smoothies, etc. If you don’t prefer sugar, you can use substitutes such as stevia.
Other ways of making strawberries sweeter include:
- Soaking the fruits in a mild salt solution to enhance the natural fruity taste
- Consuming the strawberries alongside dry fruit and nuts
- Blending the fruits with honey and milk to make a power strawberry breakfast
- Making a decadent dessert by adding dark chocolate pieces and whipped cream
- Using the fruits in iced desserts such as gelato or ice creams instead of sugar syrup. This way, you’ll make your strawberries sweeter without adding extra sugar.
- Baking with brown sugar/molasses rather than white can add a more caramelized flavor to your desserts.
- Blending a smoothie with the ripe strawberries.
What do blue strawberries taste like?
There are currently no blue strawberries in the market. What you’d see as blue strawberries are actually photoshopped images of regular red strawberries!
Blue variants are supposed to be genetically modified but are not yet available in the market. One rumored benefit is that these can withstand freezing without turning soggy on thawing. We are yet to verify those claims.
What do wild strawberries taste like?
Wild strawberry is a variant of the common fruits. They have smaller berries and are darker than their red cousins, allowing them to take their position amongst other species. The leaves on these plants tend to be more rounded at the ends rather than pointed too. These blossoms appear earlier compared to regular ones. Wild strawberries also have a higher chance of being pollinated.
Compared to the cultivated fruits, the juice from wild strawberries is less sweet and less tart due to having less sugars in them. However, the taste isn’t very different from regular ones, except that it’s vegetable-ish, while the scent is berry-ish.
What do white strawberries taste like?
The taste of this variant is identical to that of regular strawberries, although a little more pronounced. They taste like pineapples, at least to most people, but leaves a candy aftertaste in the mouth! That’s fantastic.
White strawberries are grown under low light conditions, leading to reduced amounts of anthocyanin in the fruit. This causes them to turn white in color, making these fruits look like snowballs. This appearance makes many people imagine the taste as tart and sour, which is the opposite.
How to make sweet strawberries
Many people love strawberries, but they think that these berries are just too sour. If you’re one of them and want to make your favorite berry taste better, we have a few quick tips for you:
- Freeze your strawberries with sugar before eating or cooking with them; this will slightly change their composition and make them softer;
- Add a touch of sugar or honey to your macerated strawberries;
- Use some fresh vanilla beans instead of sugar. This will add a fantastic taste and aroma to your berries, so you can prepare them any time you want! If this sounds like something that would work for you, I definitely recommend trying it out.
The 2 best sweet strawberry recipes
You can try out any of the following simple but oddly satisfying strawberry recipes.
1. Sweet strawberry topping
Requirements: Strawberries (as many as you want), Tupperware jar with its lid, sugar (granulated)
Method:
- Slice the strawberries to the desired sizes, and put them in the jar.
- Add sugar to your liking, but remember the sugar makes up the syrup, so the more, the better.
- Shake the jar gently for about a minute, ensuring the slices roll over and get entirely coated with the sugar.
- Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
You can enjoy the strawberries as they are in their syrup, or you can have them as a topping. Either way, you’ll undoubtedly repeat this recipe within a day of trying it out for the first time!
2. Sweet macerated strawberry
Requirements: 1-pint macerated strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (grated), a mint sprig
Method:
- Place the macerated strawberries, sugar vinegar, and lemon zest in a container with its lid, and sprinkle sugar on top.
- Stir for a minute and place the lid back.
- Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, and serve with the mint sprig alongside.
This is not only a straightforward recipe to follow but also one of those strawberry recipes that come out surprisingly delicious every time you make them.
The sugar offsets the osmotic balance, causing juices to draw from the diced fruits to make a thick pinkish syrup. Naturally sweetened strawberries never tasted this good before – give it a try today.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do strawberries have a scent?
Strawberries have a sweet scent that is a cross between the smell of raspberries and black currants. More specifically, the scent of caramel.
Are strawberries sour or sweet?
Strawberries are neither sweet nor sour; they have a tangy but not too acidic taste. They’re a mix of sweet and sour.
What do black strawberries taste like?
There are no black strawberries. Despite the name, black strawberries are just regular purple strawberries (released a few years ago) left to mature longer.
Does strawberry have a taste?
Yes! Strawberries have a very unique and sweet flavor with hints of acidity from malic acids in them.
Why do British strawberries taste better?
English strawberries are slow-grown, meaning that they are more flavorful. They are also grown in soils rich in potassium that adds to their taste.
What’s the sweetest strawberry?
There are several top tiers for the sweetest strawberry. They include Diamante, Alpine, and Chandler.
Wrap up
The question of what strawberries taste like is now answered. They are a delicious summer treat that everyone should enjoy. The best way to make them taste better is by following any of our suggested methods above. You can also try one of these sweet strawberry recipes for an even more flavorful experience.