Cranberries are little red berries with a bitter flavour. They grow wild on shrubs throughout Northern Europe and North America, but their cultivation is a major commercial operation in some American states and Canadian provinces.
They have a high nutritional content and are believed to be valuable for their health-giving properties.
Because the berries are so bitter, about 95% of the harvest is processed into juice, sauce or other condiments. They are also available dried and sweetened, as shown in the photo above.
Cranberry sauce is the traditional accompaniment to the Christmas turkey in the UK and elsewhere, and at Thanksgiving dinners in the United States and Canada.
