bilberry / blueberry - jagoda / borówka

 Dictionaries in print and online, including Google translate, seem to be at odds with what native Polish speakers call these fruits.


A bulberry filled bun, called a jagodzianka, either torn or bitten to show its filling and the spongy nature of the crumble toppedbun.
Bilberries (on the left) are called jagody (jagoda, singular).  According to wiktionary, this is a colloquial use.  Bilberries are smaller than blueberries and tend to be foraged and not widely sold in the shops.  You may find them sold by volume in markets.  They are the essential ingredient for jagodzianki - bilberry filled buns.


Blueberries (on the right) are called borówki (borówka, singular). They are larger and sold widely.



Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) - jagoda

The common bilberry is a deciduous (liściasty in Polish), suckering shrub (it can send up new shoots from its roots around the perimeter of the original plant.  It has glossy green leaves, wider at the base, tapering to the apex, often turning red / orange in autumn and blue-black berries.  Tends to be 10cm to 50cm tall.

Blueberry  (Vaccinium caesariense / V. corymbosum) - borówka

The blueberry is a bush deciduous shrub growing to 1m to 1.5m tall,  The berries are around 1cm in diameter.




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