The original home of blueberries, which belong to the heath family (Ericaceae), is Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. A blueberry bush can grow for up to 30 years. Fundamentally, there is a distinction between cultivated and wild blueberries – the wild variety is smaller yet much tastier. A cultivated blueberry simply cannot keep up in terms of taste.
Wild or cultivated, however, blueberries are rich in anthocyanins, which give blueberries their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And anyone on a diet can happily indulge in a few blueberries as they are very low in fat and calories.
In Germany, plantations of cultivated blueberries can mainly be found in the Lüneburg Heath area. Globally, most blueberries come from the USA.