Cherry

Name: Cherry, the general name for the edible drupes of several Prunus species. Commercially the fruit splits into two distinct species treated on their own pages: the sweet cherry (Prunus avium) and the sour or tart cherry (Prunus cerasus) — genuinely different species, not variety names for the same fruit.

Description

Cherries belong to the genus Prunus, the same group that includes plums, peaches, and apricots, and the cultivated types are believed to trace back to wild trees native to the region between the Caspian Sea and the Balkans. From there cherry cultivation spread across Europe and eastern Asia in ancient times, with Japan later developing an entire ornamental tradition around flowering cherry varieties bred chiefly for their blossom rather than fruit.

Cherry trees bloom early in spring, just after peach trees, and need a period of winter cold to flower reliably the following year. Sweet cherries are eaten mostly fresh, while tart cherries carry too much acidity to be appealing raw and are instead frozen, canned, or cooked into sauces, pies, and preserves; a third, less common group called duke cherries are natural hybrids of the two.

Main nutrition value

Per 100g, raw sweet dark red cherries (as a representative cherry):

Cherries are a decent source of potassium and vitamin C, with smaller amounts of magnesium, copper, and vitamin B-6. Their natural sugars — mostly glucose and fructose — are also responsible for much of their appeal.

How best to be consumed

Sweet cherries are best eaten fresh, chilled, and out of hand once fully ripe. Tart cherries are generally too sour to enjoy raw and are better cooked, frozen, or dried, which is how most tart-cherry crops reach consumers — in pies, sauces, juices, and jams.

Overconsumption could cause…

Cherries are safe in ordinary amounts, but eating a large quantity at once can cause bloating or a laxative effect thanks to their fiber and natural sugar alcohols. As with other stone fruits, the pit and its kernel contain cyanogenic compounds and should never be chewed or swallowed intentionally.

GroupsStone FruitsRose family (Rosaceae)Low fatLow sodiumFresh

Made intoDried Cherries

Related foodsSweet CherryLycheeMangoSour CherryApricotJujube

U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Cherries, sweet, dark red, raw (FDC ID 2346399), 100g portion: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2346399/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — Cherry: https://www.britannica.com/plant/cherry