
A bracing bit of freshness in cooler months, the cranberry has much to offer beyond a cloying blob on the Thanksgiving table.
This hard, sour fruit cooks well and lends complexity to desserts like crisps, galettes, sorbets, scones and upside-down cake. It also adds zest to meat dishes, especially pork, duck and, of course, turkey when made into relish, chutney, salsa or the traditional cranberry sauce. They can also be used in place of sour cherries, grapes and other berries in recipes, and their unsweetened juice can be substituted for vinegar, lemon juice or lime juice.
Pair these powerhouse berries with a wine that shares their bright acidity, tart red fruit and even a bitter or floral edge: Think Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Beaujolais and red Burgundy. Rosé Champagnes and sparkling reds can also be terrific.
Cranberry Facts
- This year marks the 200th anniversary of the first recorded farmed cranberry crop, in Dennis, Massachusetts. The state is the second-largest producer in the U.S., after Wisconsin.
- Whole, raw berries can be frozen and used interchangeably with fresh ones. If you’re cooking with frozen cranberries, you don’t need to thaw them first.
- Americans consume more than 400 million pounds of cranberries per year (about 90 percent of the crop goes to juices and canned sauces). Approximately 80 million pounds are enjoyed during Thanksgiving week.
- The fruits contain small pockets of air that make them bounce and float.
- Native Americans had several names for cranberries: sassamanash, ibimi and atoqua. They used them for medicine, dye and (when mixed with dried meat) a food called pemmican.
- European settlers named them “craneberries,” for their flowers’ resemblance to the bird.
Click through for two exclusive Wine Enthusiast cranberry recipes—Apple-Cranberry Crisp and Pork Chops with Cranberry Reduction—and expert wine pairings for the season.
1Apple Cranberry Crisp
2Pork Chops with Cranberry Reduction