Why Nordic Wild Blueberries Are So Expensive | So Expensive Food | Business Insider

Didn't know they where called bilberries, here in the Nordic countries everyone refers to them as blueberries. The other large blue berries are usually called fake blueberries or american blueberries.

As a swedish person who has picked blueberries my whole life i can really relate to this. The nordic blueberries is so sweet and wonderful.

I get that billberries are super expensive, but as someone who can pick them for free in the woods four steps from my house, this is kinda hilarious. I think I have about six kilos in the freezer at the moment 😂

I remember the first time I had "american" shrub blueberries, and I've never been so disappointed. 🤣 Our blueberries taste so much better.

If you're living in a norway/sweden/finland you can pick a years worth for yourself working just a few hours a day at a leasiure pace. A 20l bucket is picked and cleaned in a few hours with a basic kit. And you can pick chantarelles at the same time. Ofc its goes from a nice stroll in the forest to a strenous chore if you're doing more then that, like those workers are doing.

I'm Finnish and I live in the capitol area of Finland, which is the most densely populated area here. Next to my home there are forests and literally 2 minute walk away the forest floor is full of wild blueberries. And we also have something called "every mans right" thanks to which it's completely legal for anyone to go and pick as much of them as they want. There is also quite a bit of wild raspberries, but not as much as wild blueberries.

These taste so much better than any other blueberries. I have so many memories going picking berries with grandma and making blueberry milk and pies.

10:25 A small cultural thing to add: in the ancient Finnish faith the nature was even considered holy. Blueberries are linked to Mielikki, she was one of our deities back then. It's not that much of a surprise when the forests are very bountiful in the summer. The times may have changed but we still have that deep respect left, along with the traditions.

Well, actually in Finland bilberries and other forest berries are very cheap, because anyone can go to the forest and pick them up themselves. This is part of ”jokamiehen oikeudet”, translates in english as ”every man’s rights”. It means, that we can all enjoy nature’s benefits equally, including berries, mushrooms or just hiking around in forests and natural parks, and it’s all free of charge. So it is definitely much cheaper to go to the nearest forest and pick berries to one’s own freezer, than buy berris from a grocery store.

I love the ending... Acknowledging that it's a luxury that the forest has provided people with beautiful fruits, vegetables, herbs etc...for free so families like hers can afford a living really is a gift. I wish more people would treat all of nature with care like many Nordic people have

I'm a Norwegian, and I didn't taste the type of "blueberry" that are more then twice the size, but white inside, until I was about 40 years old. And I don't think they taste like blueberry at all, but another berry that also grow wild here, and actually what is called "bilberry", or "blokkbær". They are also white inside and not popular at all, despite being very healthy. In North-America they are growing in the wild, so more commonly picked and eaten there I think. Anyway, I remember as a kid, walking in the forest, sitting among berry bushes and stuffing my face with the blueberries, making my hands and half my face purple. When trying to pick a lot of them, it's almost impossible to not eat at the same time, ending up with a half bucket instead of a full one, because they taste better then candy. 😋

When I first moved to the UK I bought a pack of blueberries because I saw it on the shelf and they were MASSIVE. Got back home to have some and they just ended up tasting like water and not the kind of blueberries I've grown up with. Same when I moved to the Czech Republic then to the US and now in Portugal. It is safe to say that the blueberry in Scandinavia is far superior in flavour.

Blueberry soup is also a traditional Swedish dish. It's often served at big competitions like Ski-races and marathons since it's a good natural sports drink, and can be served equally hot in winter or cold in summer.

In Finland, wild blueberries are free if you pick them yourself or if your relative picks them and gives them to you because the relative's own freezer is full. But here in Finland, you never have to buy blueberries from the store and therefore Finnish grocery strories rarely sell them unprocessed. Products made from blueberries, such as blueberry kissel, are a different matter, but their price is also not high in Finland because it is easy for Finns to make them themselves. However, sometimes the problem with the blueberries is hired blueberry pickers who sometimes come into people's yards to pick blackcurrants and garden blueberries and the most problematic thing in this case is that there is no solution to report it to their employer and asks them to instruct their employees not to go into people's yards and gardens.

I never knew it was so expensive. Feels weird when you have free access to it where it grows naturally. Our dog loved to roll around in the blueberries & snack on them lol

Me watching this as a Swede who can pick unlimited amount these for free a 10 minute walk from me I found this hilarious 😂. I have a freezer full of them, never realized they were so sought after abroad.

I remember picking wild blueberries and raspberries near my family's cottage in Finland as a kid. They tasted amazing.

As a Norwegian, I think wild blueberries are amazing. But wild raspberries! Oh damn, it is the best thing in the world. They are so, so incredibly sweet! They are a hassle to pick though!

it feels very weird to watch this video talking about how expensive these "rare and hypernutritious" berries are. for me (a swede) i can go into any forest and find atleast a kilo during late summer/autumn.

As a finn my grandma would go to the forest and pickup have fresh bilberries and serve them to me with milk and its something that cant be copied ever. It's called Mustikkamaito and its still so close to my heart as a grown up.