Cranberry is an incredible fruit, we love to drink it from time to time for health reasons, but it's also an amazing fruit to pair with cheese.
We have a total of 65 fruit vegan cheeses in our one of a kind vegan cheese finder and 14 of those contain cranberry, with no other fruit being used as much when pairing with vegan cheeses.
What Are Cranberries
They are not the most popular of fruit, especially compared to bananas or the likes of strawberries, and they are small, round, red berries.
Cranberries grow on vines that love freshwater boggy areas with acidic peat soil, you can learn more at the Royal Horticulture Society's page here.
And you'll find that most of the cranberries produced in the world are from the Americas, with the world leading cranberry producers existing in the United States, Canada and Chile.
Why Are Cranberries So Good in Vegan Cheese
The pairing of cranberries in cheese is down to the levels of acidity in the cheese working so well with the fruit.
The initial use of cranberries in cheese can be sourced to Monks using milk that belonged to sheep in the 12th century. Today we can use ingredients such as cashews, coconut oil or almonds as the main ingredient in the cheese. A cranberry vegan cheese is known to be creamy, crumbly with succulent pieces of cranberries.
Cranberries on their own can be quite tart to eat and in a mild, yet slightly sweet cheese there is quite the harmonious balance that allows for a rather easy to eat, pleasing cheese.
Are Cranberries Good For You
They sure are, cranberries are rich in antioxidants, particularly polyphenols, which can help neutralize free radicals in the body.
Free radicals are molecules that can cause cellular damage and contribute to various chronic diseases.
You may already know that cranberries are well-known for their potential to support urinary tract health. Compounds in cranberries may help prevent the adhesion of bacteria, particularly E. coli, to the walls of the urinary tract, reducing the risk of urinary tract infections.
These are just a couple of the positive health benefits that taking cranberry can have, who knows whether they were chosen for their health properties, or rather that they just pair well with cheese.
What Makes Cranberry So Popular at Christmas
Cranberry juice became popular in the 1950s, bringing a sweet, tangy juice to the masses for the first time and this is because the fruit has it's harvest season in autumn.
This makes it perfect for the beginning of winter and Christmas especially. Because they harvested and ready just as we prepare for Christmas each year.
It probably also helps that they work well in many different dishes, as sides and accompaniments to meals as well as bring a lovely refreshing drink.
And finally, the vibrancy of the fruit, its bold and bright red colour is synonymous with the colour of Christmas too.
