They are also used in the Italian region of Apulia, especially to flavour brines. Northern Italian cuisine, especially that of the South Tyrol, also incorporates juniper berries. Besides Norwegian, Danish and Swedish dishes, juniper berries are also sometimes used in German, Austrian, Czech, Polish and Hungarian cuisine, often with roasts (such as German sauerbraten). Traditional recipes for choucroute garnie, an Alsatian dish of sauerkraut and meats, universally include juniper berries. They also season pork, cabbage, and sauerkraut dishes. Juniper berries are used in northern European and particularly Scandinavian cuisine to "impart a sharp, clear flavor" to meat dishes, especially wild birds (including thrush, blackbird, and woodcock) and game meats (including boar and venison). They are used both fresh and dried, but their flavour and odour are at their strongest immediately after harvest and decline during drying and storage. The outer scales of the berries are relatively flavourless, so the berries are almost always at least lightly crushed before being used as a spice. The flavor profile of young, green berries is dominated by pinene as they mature this piney, resinous backdrop is joined by what Harold McGee describes as "green-fresh" and citrus notes. Uses ĭried juniper berries at a market in Syracuse, Sicily The mature, dark berries are usually but not exclusively used in cuisine, while gin is flavoured with fully grown but unripe berries. communis (shorter, 8–10 months in a few species, and about 24 months in J. The berries are green when young, and mature to a purple-black colour over about 18 months in most species, including J. Unlike the separated and woody scales of a typical pine cone, those in a juniper berry remain fleshy and merge into a unified covering surrounding the seeds. Juniperus communis berries vary from 4–12 millimetres (0.16–0.47 in) in diameter other species are mostly similar in size, though some are larger, notably J. But the berries of some species, such as Juniperus sabina, are toxic and consumption of them is inadvisable. communis, other edible species include Juniperus drupacea, Juniperus phoenicea, Juniperus deppeana, and Juniperus californica. Mature purple and younger green juniper berries can be seen growing alongside one another on the same plant.Īll juniper species grow berries, but some are considered too bitter to eat.