airelle

bilberry

noun ehr-EL Rare

Also means

lingonberry

Usage Note

L'airelle most commonly refers to Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry, also called myrtille in many regions) or Vaccinium vitis-idaea (lingonberry/red bilberry). In Alsatian and Alpine cooking, airelles rouges (red bilberries/lingonberries) are a traditional accompaniment to game and venison. Note that myrtille is the more common everyday word for blueberry/bilberry in France.

Examples

"Elle a cueilli des airelles en montagne."

Natural Translation

She picked bilberries in the mountains.

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