I recently came across the word cloudberry, as in cloudberry jam. I hadn't heard of it, but the dictionary says it's

quote:

A creeping perennial herb (Rubus chamaemorus) in the rose family, native to northern regions of North America and Eurasia and having white flowers and edible yellowish fruit.

I guess we don't live in north enough North America to have it. Have any of you had cloudberries before?

Yes, they grow in Newfoundland and I know someone who makes cloudberry jam. I like it, it's really sweet.

Heard of it, never had it. BTW, Kalleh, did you ever get any marionberries while you were in PDX?

Oh, yes, I had marionberry jam and loved it!

Cloudberry jam was mentioned in my book which takes place in Sweden so they must be available there, as well.

We have lots of cloudberries in Scandinavia. In Sweden they are called hjortron, I think, whilst here in Norway they are called molte. It is a traditional christmas desert to have cloudberries mixed with cream. They grow in wet marshland, are quite difficult to find, and when people find a good cloudberry spot, it's a secret that they take to the grave with them! You can buy them in the store here, but they are terrifically expensive. Cloudberry jam is also available in all the supermarkets here.

What is "terrifically expensive?" I find raspberries, even during their season, expensive. They are about $6.00/pint at our farmer's market.

I think that they are around $30 per liter, certainly much more expensive than raspberries, which grow wild here and are fairly common. In contrast to raspberry plants that are loaded with fruit, each cloudberry plant bears just a single berry (See picture here: http://maps.thefullwiki.org/Rubus_chamaemorus). This, the fact that they only grow in marshy areas, and the fact that they are very popular here in Norway, especially at christmas, drives the price up.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Mike,

I wonder if they might be cultivated in areas where cranberries grow?

Along these lines, another word I just came across related to eating is ratafia. Have you heard of it before? I think Wordnik probably has the most comprehensive definition

quote:

A sweet, cordial flavored with fruits: sometimes limited to those the flavor of which is obtained from black currants, bitter almonds, or peach- and cherry-kernels.

I am not familiar with it.