It's not every day you find out you have ties to Royalty...but that's just what happened to me a few weeks ago. I have several trees in my yard that have these little spikey fruits on them. They start off a pretty apricot yellow, then turn a deep ruby shade as they ripen. I asked one of my neighbors if she had any idea what it was, but being from the good ole US of A, like me, she had no clue. Everytime my landlord, Senor M, would come over, I meant to ask him, but then I would get side-tracked and forget. Shocking, I know...One day he came over to look at my broken sink, I asked him about the olives, and finally remebered to ask him about my little red berries as well.
He said that these were very famous trees in Spain. They were madrono (ma-drone-yo) trees...I have to learn how to access the Spanish keyboard...Madrono trees are symbols of the city of Madrid. You can see them depicted in the famous Bear and the "Strawberry" Tree. Only thing is, madronos are not strawberries, but maybe it was the closest thing english speakers could think of when they were trying to translate it. Senor M pulled one of the red berries off the trees and popped it in his mouth. He then pulled one off for me to eat too, right then and there. So of course, I did. To do otherwise would be rude. It was very mild and very good. I was excited to have a new source of fruit right outside my door.
This whole incident answered many questions for me...#1. What was this fruit and was it edible? They are madronos and they are VERY edible. In fact, you have to fight the birds for the really ripe ones.
#2. Why is the Bear at the Puerta Del Sol pawing at a strawberry tree and do strawberries really grow on trees? It is NOT a strawberry tree. Just as I suspected, there is no such thing as a strawberry tree.
#3. Why is the Bear and the Strawberry Tree a symbol of Madrid anyway? The ever enlightening Rick Steves explains it this way...The Royal family brought bears to the Royal Hunting Grounds (what is now the Parque Del Retiro) and the bears ate the madrono berries, which are also used to make a special liqueur here in Spain.
#4. Why don't my madrono trees look like one in the bronze statue in the Puerta del Sol? This one was easy...Bad pruning. That's okay...doesn't affect the quality of the fruit!
So there you have it...our Royal Ties, loose though they may be...Hasta luego...
Very cool. I'd like to see what one looks like sliced open.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you could make jam, jellies, pies and whatnot...
Ashleigh, I didn't know that they were edible and I've just read that they contain a slightly toxic component and they can make you feel tipsy or even "drunk" if you have a lot. In fact, the scientific name of the plant is "arbutus unedo" and it means "only one bush" because if you eat too many you feel bad.
ReplyDeleteHey Erica Jean, They are very mushy inside and little seeds similar to kiwi fruit. The meat of the fruit is yellow, but they aren't too big and I don't know if you could slice them without mushing them. I'll try to get a pic of one up sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteHey Victor, Funny you should say that! One of my friend's daughters got an upset stomach after eating them and jumping on the trampoline. No one else got sick, so not sure if it was the berries or the trampoline that was to blame. We also have no idea how many she ate either. They are tasty, but no so much that I would eat a bunch. After what you've said, I will be more mindful though. they do make liqueur out of them though, so maybe that accounts for the "drunk" effect. We felt nothing like that though. Thanks for sharing your insights...
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