USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Native Americans used cranberries in a variety of foods, the most popular being pemmican, a high-protein combination of crushed cranberries, dried deer meat, and melted fat. They also used it as a medicine to treat arrow wounds and as a dye for rugs and blankets.

Detailed explanation-2: -(Click image for larger view). The American or large-fruited cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) is indigenous to the North American continent. It can be found along the northern portion of the United States from Maine to Wisconsin, and along the Appalachians to North Carolina.

Detailed explanation-3: -The berry was called sassamenesh (by the Algonquin) and ibimi (by the Wampanoag and Lenni-Lenape), which translates literally as “bitter” or “sour berries.” Cranberries were used for everything from cooking to dyes for textiles to medicines.

Detailed explanation-4: -Maple sugar or honey was used to sweeten the berry’s tangy flavor. Early European settlers learned cranberries’ many uses from the Native Americans as early as 1620.