Because of small pockets of air inside the cavity of the fruit, cranberries bounce, lending them the nickname “bounceberries.” They also float in water, which is key to one method by which the crop is harvested.
In the United States, nearly 400 million pounds of cranberries are consumed each year, with 20% of those being eaten during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Pemmican—a mixture of dried cranberries, dried meat, cornmeal and fat—was made into cakes carried by Native Americans on long journeys as a durable food source.
There are four major varieties of cranberries, including mountain, highbush, European and American—the most common in the United States, with the characteristic of bright red coloring.
During World War II, about 1 million pounds of dehydrated cranberries were required by American troops each year.