This is a preview of the content in our Italian Food Decoder app. Get the app to:
  • Read offline
  • Remove ads
  • Access all content
  • Build a list of your own favourites
  • Search the contents with full-text search functionality
  • ... and more!
iOS App Store Google Play

mirtillo

blueberry or lingonberry

Mirtilli are closely related berries. The mirtillo nero is the European blueberry, also known as whortleberry or bilberry. The less common mirtillo rosso is the lingonberry, but also suffices for cranberry, especially around Christmas (salsa di mirtillo is cranberry sauce). In Trentino they are called garnetole.

Ligonberries

No one will ever go broke selling American-style blueberry muffins in Italy, but the Italians also like to put both kinds of mirtilli in more traditional desserts and jam, in risotto ai mirtilli and sometimes even on pasta.

Fruits & Nuts

Trentino-Alto Adige

Text © Dana Facaros & Michael Pauls

Images by Jyrki Kymäläinen, Unsplash