DESCRIPTION
Vaccinium myrtillus or European blueberry is a species of shrub with edible fruit of blue color, commonly called “bilberry“, “blaeberry“, “wimberry“, “whortleberry”. It has much in common with the American blueberry (Vaccinium cyanococcus). It is more precisely called common bilberry or blue whortleberry, to distinguish it from other Vaccinium relatives.
Vaccinium myrtillus is found natively in Continental Northern Europe, the British Isles, Iceland and across the Caucasus into northern Asia. It is a non-native introduced species in Western Canada and the Western United States.
In cooking, the bilberry fruit is commonly used for the same purposes as the American blueberry, such as pies, cakes, jams, muffins, cookies, sauces, syrups, juices, and candies.