Goji berries, the new Instagram "superfood," have been a dietary supplement in Chinese traditional medicine since long before Internet crazes dictated food trends.
Adding the berries to breakfasts or beverages has become the fashionable way to eat healthy. Goji berry believers around the world sprinkle them onto morning oatmeal, enjoy them in lunch salads, throw a handful into protein shakes or just snack on the dried fruit.
Latching on to the trend, food producers now use the berries in juices, energy bars and baked goods. They are also marketed in skin creams that claim to slow aging.
Goji berries, also known as wolfberries, are biologically in the Solanaceae family, which also includes plants like potato, eggplant, chili pepper and even tobacco.
They are native to China, mostly grown in the northwestern autonomous regions of Ningxia Hui and Xinjiang Uygur.
Directly translated as gou qi, the name of the berries first appeared in China in the poetry classic "Book of Songs" more than 2,000 years ago. Both species of goji berry — Lycium barbarum and Lycium chinense — are native to China.
"Superfood" trends have appeared as part of a general public interest in more healthy eating. Young people and fitness enthusiasts are especially ardent devotees. Though glowing claims of healthy properties usually accompany "superfoods," proven nutritional benefits often fall short of the hype.
The bright red goji berry looks something like a raisin when dried. For a long time, it was considered an old-fashioned food among younger generations.
It has a chewy texture similar to dried grapes and is very sweet, with a hint of earthiness and bitter aftertaste. In China, the berries are rarely eaten as a solo snack.
"Goji is a traditional Chinese medicinal tonic," explained Luo Jiaqi, an associate chief internist of traditional Chinese medicine at Shanghai Putuo District Central Hospital. "It contains high amounts of amino acids and anti-aging elements like carotene and vitamins."
Dried goji berries are added to soups, stews and congee in very small amounts. The berries rehydrate and soften when cooked.
Goji wine is a popular traditional liquor made by either infusing the dried berries in white spirits or brewing them in yellow or white wines. The latter beverages have a higher alcoholic content than other Chinese fruit wines — at 24 percent to 55 percent — and are believed to be very nourishing.
