Some readers might be anticipating a holiday-relevant post today, since it's only 2 days past the American holiday of Thanksgiving. (A holiday that's probably the most food-centric one of them all, even.) Alas, that's not the case. I couldn't locate anything like that. Instead, I'll discuss a drink made from bilberry nectar. From the Bionaturae brand. Which in turn is part of Jovial Foods, which is headquartered in the American state of Connecticut, but many (all?) of their products come from Italy.
The founders of Jovial Foods were a married couple--Carla Bartolucci and Rodolfo Viola. (I'm using the past tense because Carla tragically passed at a young age in 2021.) Bartolucci was American, but of Italian heritage. Viola was born in Italy, and is of Italian heritage. Carla had become interested in organic foods after her parents died from cancer. Rodolfo had actually studied organic agriculture while in college. So it was natural that together they started a brand that specialized in marketing Italian organic food and drinks in 1995. (Some of the business details are a bit unclear, but I believe that brand was Bionaturae. But by 2010 the overall company became Jovial Foods. This may have been the same date when the Connecticut headquarters were established.) Anyway, Jovial/Bionaturae produces pastas, tomatoes, vinegars, oils, fruit nectars, and fruit spreads. All traditional Italian dishes, obviously, and many (all?) grown and processed in Italy. But the focus of Jovial seems to be their foods made from einkorn. Einkorn is a variety of wheat, one which is a bit different than varieties most commonly used currently. Adherents love einkorn because it's not hybridized, and is seen as being healthier, and more pure. It does have more protein than the common modern varieties, and has greater amounts of some nutrients, such as potassium, beta carotene, and phosphorus. Reportedly einkorn also contains a weaker type of gluten. Some folks with gluten sensitivities can digest einkorn without difficulty. Although, critically, those with celiac disease should NOT consume einkorn, as its gluten will definitely still adversely affect them. Additionally, some consumers think that einkorn has a distinct, and better flavor than regular wheat. All of which makes me wish I'd tried some Jovial products made using einkorn, but unfortunately my grocery stores only had the bilberry juice.
Moving to bilberries, they are a variety of berry that's closely related to the North American blueberry. There are some differences, though. The exteriors of bilberries are dark purple or black, and their inner pulps are red or purple, as opposed to blueberries' blue exteriors, and greenish pulp. Bilberries are softer and juicier than blueberries, and are more difficult to cultivate. Meaning most bilberries are harvested from wild plants, and are not transported very far, usually sold in local gourmet stores instead of widespread supermarket chains. Bilberries are eaten raw, or are made into jams, pies, skyr (see my post on December 7th, 2016), other desserts, soups, and are even sometimes turned into liquors. It's often claimed that bilberries have various medical uses, such as helping to lower blood pressure, or aiding eye ailments, or improving night vision. However, as is so often the case, medical science has not found evidence for these claims as of yet. I mean, they're nutritious, and tasty, but don't expect them to cure your cataracts or astigmatism or anything.
Bionaturae bilberrry nectar: Not much of an odor. Deep purplish-red in color. Taste was okay. Kind of thin. Not a bold taste. Slightly disappointing. I would have liked it to either be more tart, or more sweet. It was kind of in a mediocre flavor middle. As befits the Jovial overall healthy focus, there was no sugar added. Although there was some apple puree and apple juice concentrate, both organic, clearly. Otherwise there was just organic bilberry puree, ascorbic acid, and filtered water.
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