page_title: Arbutus unedo
section_title: Culinary uses
hierarchical_section_title: Arbutus unedo / Uses / Culinary uses
caption_attribution_description: English: Arbutus unedo crumble cake
context_page_description: Arbutus unedo, the strawberry tree, is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe north to western France and Ireland. Due to its presence in southwest and northwest Ireland, it is known as either "Irish strawberry tree", or cain or cane apple, or sometimes Killarney strawberry tree.
  Despite the name "strawberry tree", it is not closely related to the common strawberry plant.
context_section_description: Arbutus unedo's fruits have a high content of sugars (40%), and antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin C, beta-carotene, niacin, tocopherols, and organic acids that are precursors to omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids (nearly 9%). They are edible fresh, but that is an uncommon consumption, especially because the mature fruit tends to bruise very easily, making transportation difficult.
  They are used mostly for jam, marmalades, yogurt and alcoholic beverages, such as the Portuguese medronho, a type of strong brandy. Many regions of Albania prepare the traditional drink rakia from the fruits of the plant (mare or kocimare in Albanian), hence comes the name of the drink "raki kocimareje". In order to reduce the high content of methanol in the drink, the spirit is distilled twice.
  The flowers are pollinated by bees, and the resulting honey is bitter tasting but still considered a delicacy.
caption: Arbutus unedo crumble cake
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