a favoured fruit of painters and poets. True cherries, of which there are several species, belong to the genus Prunus, which also includes plums, peaches, apricots, and almonds, all in the rose family. Cultivated cherries are descended from two wild species: Prunus avium, ancestor of the sweet varieties; and P. cerasus, from which sour cherries come. Both are native to W. Asia.
The sweet cherry was described in about 300 bc by the Greek writer Theophrastus. It and the sour cherry were probably both being cultivated in the Mediterranean area before this time. The ancient Greek name kerasos, from which ‘cherry’ is derived, has been said to come from the city of that name in Asia Minor (now Giresun in Turkey); but it is more probable, as Casaubon first pointed out in his great edition (1597–1600) of Athenaeus, that the city took its name from the fruit.
The wild sweet cherry is also called ‘gean’ (from the old French guine), and ‘mazzard’ (a name especially applied to small black fruits). The fruits are small, usually dark red, and either sweet or bitter, but never sour. The wild sour cherry, P. cerasus, is borne by a smaller and hardier tree which has spread further north, for example in Scandinavia.
By the 1st century ad, when Pliny the Elder was writing, at least eight varieties of cherry were under cultivation in Italy and were highly prized. The Romans certainly played a part in spreading interest in the cherry, and Pliny mentions cultivation as far away as Britain.
There is plenty of evidence that cherries were still being cultivated, e.g. in monastery gardens, and appreciated during the medieval period. In medieval art cherries represented a sweet, pleasing character, and the delights of the blessed.
In England, the emergence of Kent as the principal cherry county was already clear in the 16th century. By the 17th century, around the time when colonists were taking the cherry to New England, two dozen or more named varieties were being grown in England, and the number has increased ever since. Parallel developments have taken place in continental Europe, where Germany is by far the largest producer (worldwide) of both sweet cherries and sour cherries; and in the USA, the second largest producer in the world for both kinds. American production is concentrated in three states: California, Oregon, and Washington.
The number of cultivated cherry varieties, worldwide, is now estimated to be about 900 sweet and 300 sour. There is therefore scope for confusion over the names of varieties, and of groups of varieties. The main groups are explained in the box.
Sweet cherries are usually eaten raw as dessert fruit. Sour cherries have a good flavour when cooked and adequately sweetened, and are preferred for making cherry pies and other dishes. The variety Montmorency, for long considered to be the finest cherry on the Paris markets, is now a rarity in France, sought after by connoisseurs for making conserves or bottling in brandy, but is still a popular variety in the USA.
Meat dishes with sour cherries exist in many cuisines from England to Persia. In many parts of N. Europe cherry soup is popular. Sour cherries are dried and used to give a sourish flavour to many dishes in the Caucasus and in Iran.
The black Morello cherry is essential for black cherry jam, Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest gateau), Kirschstrudel (cherry strudel), and the white spirit kirsch.
The griotte cherry is used in the confectionery items called griottes which are a speciality of the Franche-Comté. Long-stalked griotte cherries, such as are plentiful in the vicinity of Besançon, are enclosed with kirsch in a chocolate covering.
The small, very sour marasca or maraschino cherry was originally grown near Zara, the capital of Dalmatia (now in Croatia), where it was made into maraschino liqueur, now also made in Italy. The special flavour of this drink is due to the stones being crushed to release the almond taste of the kernels, in contrast to kirsch, where the stones are left whole.
Maraschino cherries in syrup are prepared by stoning and bleaching the cherries, then adding syrup, bitter almond oil, and red or green colouring. Glacé cherries are made by the more ordinary method of candying.
The mahlab or St Lucy's cherry (so named because it was planted at a convent dedicated to that saint) is native to Asia Minor and continues to have uses in e.g. Turkey and Cyprus. It belongs to the same genus as the mainstream cherries. So does the chokecherry, which is more interesting than it sounds.
Other ‘cherries’ belonging to unrelated genera may or may not have hard stones. They include the Barbados cherry, cornelian cherry (a dogwood), ground or winter cherry (physalis fruits), and Surinam cherry (pitanga).
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
