Barberries - What is it?

Dried barberries are an eye-catcher because of their bright red and because of their aromatic acidity for many dishes. You can simply nibble them, add them to muesli, fruit salads, smoothies, sweet dishes and desserts. In Iranian and Pakistani cuisine, they are a popular ingredient for rice dishes such as pilafs and for stews or roasts with lamb, for example, and for fish dishes. Here the barberry is more commonly known under the name sour thorn and only as an ornamental plant. The small red berries taste delicious and they are healthy too. We'll tell you here why it's definitely worth trying.

This is what you should know about the barberry.

Have you never heard of the barberry as a fruit? You're in the best of company, because that's how it is for most people in this country. One or the other only knows them by sight, because the small barberries hang on the bushes in some of our parks in autumn. But before you grab it in nature, you should be sure that this is the common barberry, also known as sour thorn or vinegar berry, because only these are edible. Other types of berry bush, however, are poisonous. Very few of us know that you can eat the dark red, elongated mini berries of the common barberry bush. It's only since you can buy dried barberries in health food stores that word has gotten around: barberries are pretty tasty! Barberries contain a lot of vitamin C and have a sweet and sour taste. So far, they have received little attention in medicinal applications and are mainly used as food. They make a valuable contribution to healthy nutrition. The barberries have a strengthening effect and can help with gum inflammation. For this purpose, the juice is drunk or dabbed on inflamed areas. The bark of the root is used for therapeutic purposes. Except for the berries, all parts of the plant are slightly poisonous.