Aronia berry

Aronia melanocarpa · Berry

40 pairings

The aronia berry, or black chokeberry, is the small, intensely dark berry of Aronia melanocarpa, a hardy North American shrub of the rose family. It is famous chiefly for two things: a mouth-drying astringency so sharp it earned the name "chokeberry," and one of the highest antioxidant and anthocyanin loads of any commonly grown fruit, which has driven its recent rise as a juice, supplement and superfood crop.

Picking a good onedrag

Jet black, taut and glossyShrivelled, split, winey

Black, gloss goingFully coloured, the shine flattening. Juice, syrup, jam and bakes all work. Raw it is safe but fiercely mouth-drying, so sweeten or blend it.Still good

Colour and skinStill fully black, the gloss flattening, skin smooth and unbroken

Tip and stemTuft darkening, scar dry, a few stalks gone brown and loose

SmellAlmost no smell at all, which is normal for this fruit

What to look for, from jet black, taut and glossy to shrivelled, split, winey.

Preparing