The country famous for mulberry is China. The tree has grown there for over 4,000 years. Chinese farmers used it first for silkworms, then later for food and medicine. Today China still leads the world in mulberry growing. No other land comes close in scale or history.
When I traveled through a small village in Zhejiang Province, I saw rows of white mulberry trees lining every farm. The trees stood short and stout, pruned low for easy picking. Workers stripped leaves daily to feed silkworms in nearby sheds. That mulberry origin China story is not just a museum tale. The trade is still alive in rural China.
White mulberry, or Morus alba, is the type native to China. The tree has been bred for over four millennia to feed silkworms. Each silkworm eats only mulberry leaves. No other plant works. That tight link built the whole Silk Road trade. Chinese silk filled markets in Rome, Persia, and India for centuries.
Other countries grow mulberry too, but in smaller volume. India runs the second-largest silk and mulberry sector in the world. Turkey ranks high for fresh fruit. Iran sells dried white mulberries by the ton each year. Uzbekistan and Afghanistan rank high too. Both make the list of top mulberry producing countries. Each one grows the fruit and silk.
Each region has its own twist on the fruit. Turks press the berries into a thick syrup called pekmez. Persians dry small white mulberries until they taste like candy. Indian farmers grow it for silk above all. You can find a different mulberry tradition in each country that grew up around the tree.
China
- History: Grown for over 4,000 years for silkworm feed and food, the longest record on Earth.
- Scale: Holds the largest mulberry acreage in the world, much of it tied to active silk farms.
- Species: Morus alba is native here and forms the base for most cultivated types worldwide.
India
- Silk role: India is the second-largest silk producer in the world after China.
- Uses: Farmers grow mulberry for silkworm feed more than fresh fruit.
- Climate: The southern states grow tropical types that fruit nearly year-round.
Turkey, Iran, and Central Asia
- Turkey: Famous for mulberry molasses (pekmez) and dried fruit sold in every market.
- Iran: Persian dried white mulberries, known as toot, taste like natural candy.
- Uzbekistan: Old mulberry trees line village roads and feed both kids and silkworms.
If you travel for food, mulberry is a fun thread to follow. Try Turkish pekmez on warm bread for breakfast. The thick syrup tastes like grape and honey mixed. Buy a bag of Iranian dried mulberries from a Persian market near you. They cost about $8 to $12 per pound and last for months in your pantry.
You can also taste mulberry tradition without flying anywhere. Many Chinese herbal shops in your town stock dried mulberries and mulberry leaf tea. Indian shops often carry mulberry items too. Your local farmers market may even have a Turkish vendor selling pekmez in fall. Start with one new product this month and work your way through the list.
When I first tried Persian dried mulberries, I bought a small bag from a corner shop. The fruit tasted like a mix of honey and fig. I ate the whole bag in two days. In my experience, those tiny white berries beat any candy you can buy. Pair them with a cup of mint tea and you have a snack the Silk Road traders ate centuries ago.
Read the full article: Mulberry Tree: Species, Care, Harvest
