Delicious Blue Medicine Food

Small, juicy and packed with nutrients, blueberries are both tasty and healthy.

The blueberry has a long history of growing wild in North America during the warm summer months. Native Americans held the velvety, dark blue fruit in great esteem as both a food and a medicine. They commonly mashed blueberries into meat and then smoked the mixture, turning it into a jerky that provides a nourishing diet rich in vitamins and minerals year-round. They believed the Great Spirit gave the blueberry to man to relieve the hunger of his children during famines. This old belief may be fitting, since blueberries provided all the essentials during the bleak, frozen winters.

Native American medicine doctors were aware of the medicinal properties of both the blueberry and the blueberry plant. Tea made from the roots of the bush eased the pain of childbirth and relaxed the mother. Tea brewed from the leaves was also drunk as a blood tonic to purify the body and relieve coughs.

During colonisation, the first white settlers borrowed a recipe from the First Nation's people called sautauthing (pronounced "sawi-taw-teeg"). It was a humble pudding made from cornmeal, milk, water and blueberries. The settlers added sugar and butter and it became a comfort meal, at a time when culinary choices were few. Historians believe it may have been the meal shared at the first Thanksgiving.

Today, scientists and nutritionists applaud the blueberry for the nutrients that burst from its tiny package. It has very high levels of vitamins C and K, as well as high levels of the trace metal element manganese, which is essential for all forms of life.

More thorough investigation indicates that regularly eating blueberries may reduce the risk of cancer, due to the large amounts of antioxidants and tannins. Blueberries also contain ciprofibrate to help lower cholesterol, which in turn protects the heart. They are also high in dietary fibre and amino acids.

Some researchers believe blueberries can help protect the elderly from Alzheimer's, the degenerative disease of the nervous system that affects motor skills, speech and cognitive ability.

Today, blueberries make most of their appearances in dessert and breakfast foods, such as muesli, yoghurt or blueberry pancakes. They are versatile and bake well in cakes, pies, tarts and pastries. They also look stunning as a garnish.

Fresh blueberries are best, although frozen are also very good and can be cheaper and more convenient. Blueberries can last up to two years in the freezer without losing any nutritional value.

And don't worry if your blueberries turn green when cooked. This is a natural reaction from the colour pigments in the blueberry.