At first glance, these dark, elongated fruits might look like blackberries—but they’re actually mulberries.
More specifically, they appear to be black mulberries, the fruit of trees in the Morus genus.
🫐 What Are They Called?
They’re commonly known as black mulberries.
Depending on the variety and location, mulberries can be:
- 🖤 Deep black or purple
- ❤️ Red
- 🤍 White
- 🟣 Dark purple
They have a distinctive elongated shape and are made up of many tiny rounded sections.
😋 What Do They Taste Like?
If you’ve never tried one, ripe black mulberries are usually very sweet and juicy, with a flavor that can be described as a mixture of berry sweetness with a slightly wine-like or tart note.
They’re delicious when eaten fresh, but they’re also commonly used for:
- Jams and preserves
- Syrups
- Desserts
- Smoothies
- Dried fruit
- Homemade drinks
🌱 Where Do Mulberries Grow?
Mulberry trees can be found in many parts of the world, particularly in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
They’re also commonly planted in gardens, along roads and in rural areas because the trees can grow quite well in warm climates.
⚠️ What About the Little White Worms?
There’s something important about the photo.
The small pale creatures visible among the berries appear to be larvae, likely from insects that have infested the fruit. A photograph alone isn’t enough to determine exactly which species they are.
If you find larvae crawling out of fresh berries, don’t eat those particular berries. Discard visibly infested fruit and wash good-quality fruit thoroughly before eating.
Also, don’t assume that soaking the fruit automatically makes heavily infested or spoiled fruit safe to eat.
🤔 Mulberry or Blackberry?
A quick way to distinguish them:
Mulberry:
➡️ Usually grows on a tree
➡️ Often has a small stem attached
➡️ Long, cylindrical/oval shape
➡️ Very soft when ripe
Blackberry:
➡️ Grows on thorny or trailing bushes
➡️ Usually more rounded
➡️ Has a different arrangement of drupelets
So despite their appearance, the fruits in this photo are mulberries, not blackberries.
👇 Have You Ever Eaten Fresh Mulberries?
What did you think of the taste—sweet, sour, or somewhere in between? 🫐