B – ‘Bilberries’

The abc of Food Cooking and People

Bilberries

🫐 Bilberries – Europe’s Wild Blue Treasure

Please let us introduce you to the bilberry, a small, deep blue berry found growing wild across Europe and parts of Asia. These sweet-tart fruits may look similar to blueberries, but they’re more closely related to huckleberries and grow singly or in pairs rather than in clusters. With their rich flavour and dark-staining juice, bilberries are beloved foraged fruit and a traditional ingredient in many European kitchens.

Known for their health benefits and vibrant colour, bilberries are used in everything from jams and syrups to pies and herbal remedies. Though not often cultivated on a large scale, they grow abundantly in forests, heaths, and hillsides—especially in Scandinavia, Scotland, and Eastern Europe.

🌿 Small but Mighty

Bilberries are the fruit of the plant Vaccinium myrtillus, part of the same botanical family as blueberries and cranberries. But unlike cultivated blueberries, bilberries are smaller, softer, and have a much deeper colour inside and out. Their juice is dark purple, almost black, and known for staining fingers, teeth, and pastry dough with its inky brilliance.

They have a tart, slightly sweet flavour that makes them ideal for baking. Bilberry pies, pastries, and crumbles are popular in countries like Sweden and Finland, where bilberry season is a much-anticipated summer event.

🫐 Did You Know?

Bilberries are sometimes called European blueberries or whortleberries.

They are often known as blaeberries or fraughans in the UK and Ireland.

In folk medicine, bilberries were believed to support eye health and were even eaten by WWII pilots to improve night vision.

Unlike blueberries, which are cultivated, bilberries are almost always wild and hand-foraged.

They are closely related to huckleberries, which grow in North America and share a similar appearance and taste.

🍰 A Taste of the Forest

In the kitchen, bilberries are prized for their intense flavour and striking colour. They can be made into jams, added to muffins or pancakes, or cooked into rich, purple sauces. In Scandinavian countries, they are often served with pancakes, stirred into porridge, or turned into luscious summer desserts. You might find them in a Heidelbeerkuchen in Germany, while in the British Isles, a bilberry pie is a traditional countryside treat.

You can also steep bilberries into teas, infuse them in spirits, or preserve them with sugar for the colder months.

✨ In Summary

These dark blue berries are little bursts of forest flavour—tart, juicy, and full of tradition. Whether you call them bilberries, blaeberries, or huckleberries’ European cousins, please enjoy them as one of nature’s wild, seasonal gifts. Just be sure to bring a basket—and maybe a napkin for those purple fingers!