Mulberry Blackberries

What are mulberry blackberries?

Mulberry blackberries: generalities

Mulberry blackberries are edible fruits that belong to the VII fundamental group of foods (rich in vitamin C).

Similar in appearance and nutritional content to blackberries, from the botanical point of view they are totally different.

Mulberries, although not native, are also used in Italian gastronomy (for desserts, juices, etc., especially in the south of the peninsula).

In reality the nomenclature "mulberry mora" is quite generic and imprecise, since there are many different species of plants that produce fruits quite similar to each other. In Italy the white and black varieties are known and widespread, respectively produced by trees belonging to the Moraceae botanical family.

Nutritional Properties

Nutritional characteristics of mulberries

As anticipated, mulberry blackberries belong to the VII fundamental group of foods. These are foods with an objectively moderate calorie intake (43 kcal / 100 g of product), although in the context of fleshy fruits they are placed in an average position.

The calories of mulberries are mainly supplied by simple glucides made from fructose; proteins and fatty acids are of medium size. Obviously cholesterol is absent and in its place there are small amounts of phytosterols. The fibers are not abundant but are certainly relevant in the overall nutritional balance. Among the vitamins, the content of ascorbic acid or vitamin C stands out. With regards to mineral salts, on the other hand, iron is surprisingly high; the latter is not very bioavailable and does not replace the haem of foods of animal origin. Good potassium intake. Black mulberry blackberries have an excellent content of antioxidant pigments called anthocyanins (they fight oxidative stress and improve metabolic balance by acting positively on cholesterolemia, etc.). Note : also from other parts of the plant, such as bark and leaves, it is possible to extract high quality active ingredients used even in the food supplement industry (eg the antioxidant resveratrol, the same as black grapes and wine red). The unripe fruits, taken in large quantities, are slightly toxic.

Mulberry blackberries lend themselves to most diets. They have no major contraindications in the diet for being overweight and against metabolic disorders.

It is obvious that in the case of obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia both the average portion and the frequency of consumption should be moderate. There is an allergic form of mulberry that intersects (for cross activity) with the herbaceous plant Parietaria, beyond which other types of hypersensitivity are not known (it is pertinent to the diet of celiac disease, lactose intolerance and histamine intolerance) ). It has no contraindications even for religious diets (kosher, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist etc.).

The average portion of mulberry blackberries is between 100-150 g (45-80 kcal).

Kitchen

Culinary use of mulberries

Mulberry blackberries have a characteristic taste, sweet and slightly acidic taste (which decreases with maturation). The consistency is turgid and softens with maturation; the presence of small seeds stands out. On the other hand, if they are too ripe, mulberry blackberries become soggy and acquire hints of alcohol.

Black and white mulberry blackberries have a different taste. The white ones are more sour, rubbery and have a slight hint of vanilla. Black and red mulberry blackberries have much more intense taste characteristics.

The main gastronomic use of mulberries is dessert. These fruits are eaten alone, without needing any seasoning such as sugar, honey, syrups or lemon juice. The fact remains that they also lend themselves to composing mixed recipes such as fruit salads.

With mulberries, an excellent jam is produced, which does not require the addition of either sucrose or pectin and reaches the right consistency (even without boiling too long).

In Italy the Sicilian mulberry granita is very famous, which is served almost exclusively at regional level and accompanied with whipped cream and brioches. Particular, not widespread but excellent for lovers of taste, the mulberry ice cream.

Recently, mulberries have also been used to package liquid foods and beverages such as: smoothies, fruit juices, extracts, centrifuged and herbal teas.

With mulberry blackberries, fermenting alcoholic beverages can also be produced, yet they are almost totally unknown in Italy.

Blackberries have a wide application also in the packaging of cooked desserts. The tarts and croissants with blackberry jam, cakes with whole blackberries etc. are very famous.

We recall that, although the bark and leaves of the mulberry are used for the extraction of active ingredients from which food supplements are produced, the green parts of the plant and unripe fruits have mildly toxic and hallucinogenic properties (if taken in large quantities ).

Botany

Mulberry botanical notes

The fruits called blackberries are actually produced by many types of plants (both trees and shrubs). The mulberry trees common in Italy, which we have said belong to the Moraceae family, are trees of the genus Morus and differ fundamentally in two species: alba, the one that produces white fruits ( M. alba ), and nigra, which produces black fruits instead ( M. nigra ); the red mulberry ( M. rubra ) is less known.

These species of mulberry originate from the Asian continent but, spread by man, today they are also common in Africa and in North America; in Italy the spread of mulberries is marginal and these plants are cultivated mainly for ornamental or fruitful but private purposes.

Mulberry blackberries VS blackberries: botanical differences

Mulberry blackberries are sweet fruits with a specific structural organization. Similar to appearance but essentially different from blackberries, they actually belong to the category of infructescences - false fruits - sorosi (succulent fruits, each with its own seed, produced by a single flower on a single support). Blackberries (fruits of the Rubus ulmifolius shrub, of the Rosaceae Family) are structurally different and represent a type of aggregate fruit but not of infructescence type because, unlike those of mulberry, they do not originate from inflorescence but from a single flower.

In Africa the white mulberry is considered a pest and is rapidly undermining the native red mulberry.