What fruit is traditionally used in the British dessert 'Eton mess'?

The fruit traditionally used in Eton mess is the strawberry.

Eton mess is a classic English dessert made by folding or layering strawberries with whipped cream and broken meringue. Its name is associated with Eton College in Berkshire, where the dessert is linked to the annual cricket match against Harrow School. The word “mess” refers either to its deliberately jumbled appearance or to an older sense meaning a serving or mixture of food.

The dessert was mentioned in print by 1893, but its school history is better documented from the twentieth century. Earlier versions served at Eton in the 1930s reportedly used strawberries or bananas with ice cream or cream; meringue became part of the familiar modern form later.

Other berries can be substituted, and chefs sometimes make banana versions, so strawberry is traditional rather than mandatory. That flexibility explains why raspberries may appear in recipes, but it does not make them the standard quiz answer. Eton mess is distinct from pavlova mainly in presentation: the meringue is intentionally broken and mixed rather than presented as a neat shell.