Europeans have long consumed bilberries, a variety of blueberries as part of their diet, especially for eye health. In Europe, the fruit is rarely found growing wild and is also extensively cultivated.
The first planting of highbush blueberry outside of North America was made in 1923 by a Mr. Borgesius in Assen, the Netherlands.
Early plantings were made by David Trehane in the UK in 1959 and Wilhelm Dierking in Germany in 1962.
Planting of blueberries began in France in the 1980s and Spain in the 1990s.
In Sweden dried blueberries are used to treat diarrhea in children. During World War II, British Royal Air Force plots consumed bilberry (a variety of European blueberry) preserves before their night mission.
Based on folk medicine, the pilots believed that the bilberries would improve their ability to see at night.
Blueberry in Europe
