You’ll never understand a cranberry by eating a raw one – but used properly, the uniquely tart red jewels are hugely versatile, livening up savoury and sweet dishes alike
Every Thanksgiving, my mother made the same cranberry orange relish. It was the only time of year the hand-cranked grinder came out from the back of the cupboard to be suction-clamped to the kitchen table. The recipe was written on the bag the cranberries came in, and included whole oranges, peel and all, and a considerable amount of sugar. The finished product, if I’m being totally honest, never once passed my lips.
That’s because at some point during this annual event, I was always tempted to pop a fresh cranberry into my mouth. They looked, after all, like tiny cherries. But that is not what they tasted like. They had all the tartness of citrus fruit, and absolutely nothing else. It was enough to put me off them for another year. I like cranberries now, but as acquired tastes go, this one was particularly hard won. That classic recipe from the cranberry bag is here. What’s it like? I still don’t know.