The most ancient berry you're probably not eating — deeply purple, anthocyanin-rich, and abandoned by modern grocery stores. This is their sweet and juicy story.
The only "berry" that made it into my Art of Anthocyanins show in Venice — just look at these plump, juicy beauties.
What Are Mulberries?
Mulberries are ancient — they've been eaten for at least the last 4,000–5,000 years. Despite having berry in their name, they're not actually botanically classified as one — they're actually closer to figs and jackfruit than to what we commonly call berries. Referenced in ancient Chinese texts, Roman writings, Persian agriculture. The Silk Road. Figs and dates get all the OG fruit glory, but mulberries have always been right there with them.
And then modern grocery systems of the 20th century happened. Mulberries bruise, collapse, ferment fast, and stain everything purple. Everything industrial agriculture needs, mulberries don't have. Terrible commercial fruit. But their extreme fragility and zero shelf life make them a prized specialty — highly sought after at farmers markets and fine-dining restaurants.
Three main species: white (native to China), red (native to North America), and black (native to western Asia/Persia). And despite those tidy color names, the colors overlap wildly — "white" mulberries can ripen to pale cream, pink, lavender or deep purple-black depending on the variety. How very "me" of them and how fun.
The Silk Road Connection
White mulberries were cultivated in China thousands of years ago to feed silkworms. Mulberries aren't just fruit history. They're textile history. Trade history. Empire history.
In 1733, Thomas Jefferson had white mulberry trees planted every 20 feet at his estate in Virginia to launch a silk industry in America. The silk industry flopped. The trees stayed and proceeded to stain sidewalks purple for the next 300 years. The birds were thrilled feasting on his trees, the hood not so much — purple fruit dropping everywhere, staining everything in sight. The feasting birds spread mulberry seeds everywhere, essentially planting mulberry trees across the entire country.
Why Are Mulberries Purple?
The deep red, purple, and almost-black mulberries get their color from anthocyanins — the same natural plant pigments behind every purple fruit and veggie I'm obsessed with: purple cauliflower, purple carrots, purple potatoes, purple kale, purple Brussels sprouts, purple basil, red okra, and radicchio. The darker the mulberry, the higher the anthocyanin content. Black mulberries are the most anthocyanin-rich of the bunch — which is why they stain your hands, clothes, cutting boards, and probably your soul. Very anthocyanin behavior.
White mulberries are the exception — little to no anthocyanins, which is why they stay pale instead of going deep purple-black. Every rule needs one.
What Do Mulberries Taste Like?
Taste depends on the variety. Black → rich, winey, jammy, almost cabernet-y. Red → bright, juicy, slightly floral. White → milder, honeyed, sometimes vanilla-ish. The darker the berry, the more intense the flavor. Fresh mulberries are softer and more delicate than blackberries — they bruise on contact, which is exactly why you'll never find them in a supermarket and exactly why they're worth seeking out.
Why They Disappeared (and Why They're Back)
In many American cities, the trees became notorious for purple bird poop and stained sidewalks. Deeply unfair.
Meanwhile, they stayed beloved across Turkey, Iran, China, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Mediterranean — dried, made into syrups, fermented, eaten fresh. Turkey is still one of the world's biggest producers, especially known for pekmez, a thick mulberry molasses.
Now they're having a moment — farmers markets, foraging culture, chef-driven seasonal cooking, the general rise of obsession with heirloom, hyper-seasonal, deeply pigmented fruit. Very aligned with where food culture is right now. Dinner parties and obsessed purple produce people absolutely are built for mulberries.
Season & Where to Find Them
Peak season: late spring through summer, depending on variety and region. In California, look for them at farmers markets — they rarely make it to supermarket shelves, which is honestly part of the appeal.
Buy them the day you're going to eat them. They do not wait.
More Purple Produce
If mulberries caught your eye, you're not alone — purple veggies are kind of my love language. More deeply pigmented produce to explore:
- Purple Cauliflower — the sexiest, anthocyanin-rich brassica.
- Purple Potatoes — the sexiest antioxidant-rich spud around.
- Purple Carrots — the original carrot, deeply purple and anthocyanin-rich.
- Purple Kale — the glam, anthocyanin-rich sibling of classic green.
- Purple Asparagus — the most elegant, anthocyanin-rich spear of them all.
- Radicchio — bold, bitter, and the most dramatic color at the winter farmers market.
If ya spot mulberries at the farmers market, bring them home immediately. And I'd love to see — tag me on Instagram, @danielagerson, so I can see your gloriously purple creations.
Let's make waves in the kitchen.
Disclaimer: The definition of "berry" on this blog is colloquial, not botanical — I lump all the summer bounty we commonly perceive as berries even if they are not technically berries, such as mulberries, strawberries, and raspberries.
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