Mulberries

Mulberries come in many varieties, the most important for eating being white and black. The white mulberry, native to the higher elevations of China, has been cultivated for at least 5,000 years for its leaves, which are the silkworms’ only food, and for many centuries in other countries, notably Iran. Its sweet fruit, like that of the black mulberry, is delicate: It is not picked, but shaken from its tree onto a sheet. The fruit may be eaten fresh or incorporated in sherbet, jam, vinegar or wine. Dried white mulberries, available at Persian markets, are used as a sweetening agent or in stuffings as one would use raisins.