Red raspberries Rubus idaeus is one of several species of wild raspberry including those in the African evolutionary homeland. Rubus ludwigii, from Southern Africa, has small, white pleasant fruit, and R. rigidus, with it's glossy purple-black berries, is common from central Africa to the Cape.
As we radiated out into the fruit and nut filled woodlands of South West Asia, we would have come upon the wild form of the red raspberry, R. idaeus (named after Mt.Ida in the Caucasus Mountains), as well as related wild fruits such as Rubus chamaemorus, R. arcticus, R. saxatilis of the forest tundra belt of North Asia. Raspberries are easy to propagate, as plants or seed. They would have been taken to Europe by traders and soldiers, and the Romans, in particular, played their part in spreading them far afield. The British improved the fruit in the middle ages, and like most fruits, plants were sent to it's colonies, including America (in the late eighteenth century). The red raspberry was already present in America however. A variety of the Southwest Asian raspberry, Rubus idaeus variety strigosus is  indigenous to eastern North America. The black raspberry Rubus occidentalis, is found only in North America, and it wasn't domesticated until the 1800's.

Raspberries have a very short shelf life, they are liable to damage in transport and handling, and the plant can be subject to quite a few diseases. When conditions are good, they are very productive, and well suited to 'commoditization' as a frozen or pulp product for use in other manufactured 'foods'. Fresh market berries are consequently relatively expensive, and have a short season. Frozen berries may give best value for money.

Laboratory tests suggest some berries may reduce  the buildup of LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, a contributor to heart disease, stroke and atherosclerosis. Raspberries were tested as having the second highest LDL inhibitory effect. Interestingly, the anthocyanin content (believed to be a protective antioxidant) of raspberries increases in storage, thus increasing their antioxidant value over time.