1. How freeze-drying works
The fruit is frozen solid, then placed under a vacuum where the ice turns straight to vapour without melting. Because it happens cold, the berry is never cooked. What is left is the whole fruit with almost none of its water.
2. What changes vs fresh
- Texture: soft and juicy becomes light and crunchy.
- Shelf life: a fresh berry lasts days; a freeze-dried one keeps for many months, sealed, at room temperature.
- Weight: without water it is a fraction of the weight, so the flavour feels concentrated.
3. What stays the same
The whole shape and the bright colour stay. So do most of the nutrients and the natural fruit flavour, now concentrated into a smaller, crunchier bite. Freeze-drying does not add sugar; the sweetness is the fruit and, once coated, the chocolate.
4. Why it suits a chocolate coating
A fresh berry would make chocolate sweat and soften. A freeze-dried one stays crisp, so the crunch survives under the coating. That is the whole trick behind a Ferutz bite: dry fruit, sealed in real chocolate.