Overview

Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) is a low-growing evergreen shrub native to circumpolar and boreal regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The small, dark purple to black berries have a tart, mildly astringent flavor and are edible both raw and cooked.

Origin and history

Black crowberry is native to northern North America, northern Europe, northern Asia, and parts of the Arctic [1]. It has been a traditional food source for Indigenous peoples across the boreal forest and Arctic regions, including the Inuit, Dene, and Cree, who harvested the berries in late summer and fall [3]. The berries were often mixed with fat or oil and stored for winter use. In Scandinavia, crowberries have been used in jams and sauces, and the plant has a history of medicinal use in folk traditions for treating ailments such as diarrhea and urinary tract infections [2]. The species was formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

Varieties and aliases

Common English names include black crowberry, curlewberry, and crakeberry. In Scandinavia, it is known as kråkbär (Swedish) or krekling (Norwegian). The species is sometimes divided into subspecies, but taxonomic boundaries are debated.

Culinary uses

The berries are typically harvested after the first frost, which reduces their astringency [2]. They can be eaten raw but are more commonly cooked into jams, jellies, syrups, and sauces. In Nordic cuisine, crowberries are used in preserves and as a flavoring for spirits. The berries are also pressed for juice or fermented into wine. Indigenous peoples of North America traditionally mixed crowberries with animal fat and dried meat to make pemmican-like preparations [3]. The berries are high in anthocyanins and vitamin C.

Cross-cuisine context

Black crowberry has no widely recognized analogue in Mexican cuisine. Its closest functional counterpart in the Yum cuisine corpus is the capulín (Prunus serotina subsp. capuli), a small wild cherry native to Mesoamerica that is also tart, foraged, and used in preserves and beverages. Both are small, dark, astringent berries that improve with frost and are traditionally harvested from wild plants rather than cultivated. In Korean cuisine, crowberry has no direct analogue; the closest comparison by function might be bokbunja (Rubus coreanus), a wild black raspberry used in wine and preserves, though bokbunja is sweeter and more aromatic.

Notes for cooks

  • Crowberries are highly astringent when underripe. Harvest after the first frost or blanch briefly to reduce bitterness.
  • The berries freeze well and can be stored for months without significant loss of flavor.
  • Substitute crowberries for lingonberries or cranberries in recipes, adjusting sugar upward to balance tartness.