Strawberry fields forever

‘Let me take you down ’cause I’m going to Strawberry Fields. Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about Strawberry Fields forever.’ It’s from a song by the legendary group The Beatles. They knew the magical power of strawberries. What is so special about this fruit? Texture, colour or taste? Maybe it’s something completely different. The reason we have strawberries is probably thanks to American farmers. In the 17th century they started crossing wild strawberries from Virginia with huge wild strawberries from Chile. The resultant food became a delicacy in the big houses of Europe. They were served on miniature ceramic plates and accompanied by champagne. The fruit was really expensive and not for the mere commoners. Now strawberries are really popular, just like potatoes. I think that for Irish people it would be really hard to understand my fascination with strawberries. Here, all year round, we have access to imported strawberries. Also, we have Irish strawberries. But the taste, because of the lack of sun, is not really special. In Poland, it is completely different. At the beginning of April in the shops we see Polish strawberries. They are really expensive and also don’t taste all that special, but this fact always makes me realise that it’s spring and soon it will be real strawberry season. The Polish strawberry epidemic explodes in June. On the streets and in the shops, it’s really red. Strawberries are everywhere and they are extremely cheap. The taste, I have to say, is like heaven on the palate, sweet and juicy