The Third Flavor
September 8, 2011 (Thursday)
When it was announced that research seemed to show that Chocolate can help prevent heart problems, I thought a blog about that was justified. Then, of course, I gave equal time to my good buddy, Vanilla. That left me vulnerable to accusations that I was unfairly neglecting the third all-time favorite ice cream flavor, Strawberry. So here are a few words about the third horse in the Neapolitan calvary.
The Strawberry is technically a “fruit,” and not a “berry.” Not that it matters, because most people enjoy eating it whatever it is called and however it is prepared. Of course, some unfortunate souls are allergic to it. Too bad. And sad.
It seems to be something that almost anyone can grow at home, almost anywhere. One of the most interesting beds of strawberries I ever saw were on a friend’s patio, in a great big wooden barrel where the strawberry plants protruded through holes in its side.
The flavor is so popular that it is reproduced synthetically and used to spread the aroma abroad through multiple products of various kinds.
Strawberry shortcake was one of my favorite desserts as I grew up. It was a rare treat, but when it came to our table, it was real shortcake, real strawberries and real whipped cream. (The cream had floated to the top of a glass milk bottle and removed for whipping before the days of homogenization). M-m-m, makes my mouth water even now. Of course, later versions with little round, indented precooked cakes and artificial whipped cream were still great, because we always had genuine strawberries.
Congratulations, Strawberry! You made it to the “Big Three” of popular flavors.