Elderberry
Origin / Growing regions
The black elderberry (also known as the chinaberry) is one of the most common types of bushy plants in Central Europe. This robust, undemanding plant is also found in other parts of Europe, western Siberia, northern India, the Caucasus, Asia Minor and North Africa.
Description
The black elderberry belongs to the genus Sambuccus. Aside from wild varieties, it is also found as a cultivated plant – and to an increasing extent since the 1980s. The elderberry bush, which displays white blossoms in June/July, can grow to a height of seven metres. The first small, black berries are ordinarily harvested in late August or early September.
Elderberry
Fruit
The black “berries” (they are actually stone fruits) contain burgundy-coloured juice, and each berry forms three seeds. As the fruits ripen, the stalks to which they attached take on a reddish colour.
Flavour
Children and individuals with sensitive digestive systems may experience discomfort after consuming elderberries. This “toxic” effect is eliminated through heating or fermentation, however. The berries are processed into jelly, sauce, juice, liqueur or wine. The juice is highly aromatic, yet low in acid, slightly tart and hardly sweet at all. Thus it is often mixed with apple juice or other sweet fruit juices.