Blueberries Go Global

Blueberries may be an all-American fruit, but they sure love to travel. The dynamic little berries mingle well with the bold global flavors that diners crave today: in tropical salads, Latin salsas and Indian chutneys. If you tend to use blueberries only in dishes with an American accent, you are missing out on some opportunities to capitalize on their wide appeal.

When you pair blueberries — a fruit with a demonstrated fan club — with international favorites like chimichurri and curry, you have a near-certain hit. In fact, blueberries can be the bridge to foreign dishes that customers may have reservations about. Some ideas that might inspire you to take blueberries places they haven't been before:

Latin America

A Blueberry Mojito makes perfect sense, with or without a beach view. Lime juice, sugar, fresh mint, muddled berries. What's not to like? Suggest with warm tostaditos (chips) and guacamole, or with shrimp ceviche.

Marinated Skirt Steak with Blueberry Chimichurri rides on the popularity of the classic condiment for Argentina's famous beef. Offer Blueberry Chimichurri as an option with other grilled meats, too, including lamb, pork and chicken.

Caribbean

Make a Tropical Blueberry, Pineapple and Jalapeño Salad to accompany grilled chicken or pork kebabs, chicken breast or pork chops. Colorful, juicy and spicy, it's also fat free — a strong selling point for health-conscious guests.

A Blueberry-Mango Colada Salad strikes the right island-vacation note. Offer as a side dish for ribs, sausages, a ham or turkey sandwich, or grilled shrimp.

Asia

Curried Blueberry Ketchup could reinvigorate your sandwich or deli program. Offer it as an option on burgers or as a dipping sauce for fried fish. Or personalize your meatloaf with this signature condiment.

Put Blueberry Chutney inside a grilled goat-cheese sandwich, or serve as a condiment for chicken satay.

Mediterranean

Offer a salad with romaine, crumbled Gorgonzola, toasted almonds and fresh blueberries.

Make a Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar for dressing salads or drizzling on grilled pork or seared duck breast.

Scatter fresh blueberries on a platter of melon and prosciutto.

Add fresh blueberries and chopped mint to the refreshing Greek summer salad of chilled watermelon and feta.

Featured Recipe:
Blueberries show they can dance to a Latin beat in Chipotle Grilled Chicken Breast with Blueberry-Peach Salsa, demonstrated here by Chef Scott Samuel. "You can't go wrong with a combination of sweet, spicy and salty," he says. "And Blueberry-Peach Salsa plays off perfectly against the spicy-salty chicken. The salsa is great with pork chops or tenderloin or grilled salmon with a spicy rub. The blueberries give you big bursts of flavor that you don't get from most other fruits."