The Love of Strawberry Tattoos
Unbeknownst to many, the strawberry is actually a member of the rose family.
Its intense flavour made the small red berry a highly sought after food in the hunter/gatherer era of Europe and the Americas. The leaves of the strawberry plan were also used in many folk medicine remedies.
The bright red color and heart shape intricately linked the strawberry to love and passion. It is said that two people who share a strawberry will fall in love. The strawberry was also associated with the Virgin Mary, and its three part leaf represented the Holy Trinity.
The berry has had many names over its lifespan, and was thought to have originally been named the strewberry, for how the fruit grew strewn around on the forest floor. Later on when the berry was cultivated in gardens, straw was often used to cover the plant to discourage weed growth and lift the fruit from the ground, hence the name strawberry.
American Indians can be credited with making the first strawberry shortcake, which for them was crushed berries mixed with cornmeal, then made into bread.
Like cherries, the strawberry is a favoured tattoo symbol for women. Ripe, red and plump there is no doubt that a strawberry can stand for femininity and fertility, temptation and passion.
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