Aronia berries were part of the diet of the native peoples of North America and Canada centuries ago. They were given the name chokeberries because of their furry, tart, rough flavor.

When you first swallow, you actually have the impression that they could get stuck in your throat.

Even if you like bitter substances and regret that in more and more fruits and vegetables the bitter substances are reduced in cultivation, you have to swallow at first when testing aronia berry juice.

Botanically, the aronia berry belongs to the rose family, but it is more reminiscent of twigs and thorns than gentle rose petals.

A powerhouse of antioxidants

The tart taste comes from the relatively low sugar content of the berry and the very hard, resistant skin.

Aronia berry is a real powerhouse of antioxidant agents and vitamins.

You can also get them in dried form, soak about 2 tablespoons of them overnight in water or chokeberry juice, and thus have a chokeberry supplement on hand each next day.

In laboratory analyses with comparable blueberries, cranberries or cranberries, the aronia berries show in part four times higher values in the total phenol and anthocane values, which are responsible for the antioxidant effect.

The chokeberry owes these high values to its extremely robust skin, which also makes it very resistant to pests, so that chokeberry plantations manage almost without pesticides and herbicides.

The berry that came from the cold

Chokecherry bushes are relatively undemanding plants and do well in cool climates. Aronia berries were first harvested in North America and Canada, then in the former Soviet Union and some Scandinavian countries.

In 1976, the chokeberry was cultivated for the first time in the Berglandobst LPG near Bautzen. Since 2013 and 2015, respectively, there have also been significant cultivation areas in Switzerland and Austria, respectively, which are being increased annually.

During our last visit to Lake Constance, signs could be seen among the apple orchards, with which some of the fruit growers indicated that they now also grow chokeberries.

Little to no pesticides, cultivation in Europe with relatively low transport distances and high health-promoting content. We would say: Good-bye Goji and Acai, if anyone still remembers these two berries from Asia hyped as superfood.

Autumn time – chokeberry time

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The harvest of chokeberry takes place in the summer. After that, the berries are immediately shock-frozen before being processed into juice, fruit spreads and jams.

The pomace is ground and processed into powder. If you like, you can sprinkle the latter on your muesli.

We prefer the direct juice, because in autumn we welcome any support that helps us stay fit in the rain, storm and the onset of cold weather.

Unlike the lemon ginger mixture, it is better not to take the intense direct juice on an empty stomach, and 100 ml a day is sufficient, according to experts.

Somewhat milder is the fruit juice mixture of aronia berries and apple juice, which is increasingly offered for breakfast in good hotels.

And another tip for the now beginning time of the braised dishes. A good shot of aronia berry juice adds tart fruitiness to a dark sauce to achieve the desired balance of sour, sweet, salty, bitter and umami.