How to buy, eat and store the best French strawberries
As spring approaches and strawberries come into season, here are top tips for achieving optimal fruity flavour, according to experts
Strawberries are already appearing on market stalls
Jon Ingall/Shutterstock
Strawberry season is officially underway in France, as the arrival of spring ripens the first of these flavoursome fruits.
Prized French variety, the gariguette, is already hitting the shelves and is favoured for its sweet flavour. It is by far the most-sold, most-popular strawberry in France, shifting 17.6 tonnes per year.
Around 12-15 strawberry varieties are regularly sold on market stalls in France, including the gariguette, the ciflorette, the charlotte, and the Mara des bois, appearing from early March until the first frosts.
The Figaro previously asked three strawberry experts to offer tips on how to choose and prepare the best of the seasonal fraise crop:
Pascal Marionnet is a strawberry plant breeder and specialist in creating new varieties.
Yann Menguy is a pastry chef at the Pâtisserie La Goutte d’Or in Paris.
Cédric Grolet is an executive pastry chef at Michelin-starred restaurant Le Meurice.
Read also: Did you know? France invented the strawberry
Varieties and cooking suggestions
Gariguette strawberries work especially well in patisserie and jam, explains Mr Menguy.
Mr Grolet added: “[They also work] when just cleaned with your fingers, when they are still warm from the sun, with a little bit of soil still on them.”
The ciflorette is usually the second variety to come to market, around mid-March, through to mid-July. This variety is the most aromatic and “perfumed”, according to Mr Menguy.
It is often slightly longer in shape, with a red-orange colour, and “can be used however you like, including cooked or raw”, explained Mr Marionnet.
The charlotte variety is usually the largest, and often the sweetest. Its season lasts from mid-April to November and it is produced mainly in the south-west and Loire Valley.
With a woody, sweet flavour, it is also most likely to have the deep red colour and “heart shape” that many see as the “typical strawberry”. It works especially well in cooked dishes, said Mr Menguy.
He added: “[Charlottes] work just as well in jam as they do in a fruit tart.”
The Mara du bois variety is usually the last to arrive. It is available from early June to November and is mainly produced in Brittany and the Lot-et-Garonne. It has a strong red colour and firm flesh, making it great for cooked dishes.
Strawberry storage
Strawberries should ideally be eaten as soon as possible after purchase, according to the experts.
Mr Marionnet said: “Eat them immediately after you buy them, as the fruit loses its flavour when it is in the refrigerator.”
If you have no choice but to keep them longer, Mr Menguy advised that you should keep them in a cool room or a slightly-warm refrigerator, at about 8°C if possible.
He said: “Strawberries should be stored, and ripened, in an environment that is not too hot and not too cold. And you must avoid touching them. Hands can be quite acidic, which damages the fruit.”
The pastry chef also advised shoppers not to freeze strawberries. If you must freeze them, he said, it is best to do so with the charlotte variety and they should only be used in cooked dishes.
Read also: Which fruits, vegetables and fish are in season in France this March?
