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Cherries
A cherry is a fleshy fruit (drupe) that contains a single stony seed. The cherry belongs to the family Rosaceae, genus Prunus, along with almonds, peaches, plums, apricots and bird cherries.
Cherries work very well with fatty meats such pork and duck where recipes like cherry salsa help to balance the flavours.
Try adding them to cous cous for extra colour and flavour.
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Cereza del Jerte
The ‘Denominación de Origen Protegida’ Cereza del Jerte cherry come from the Jerte Valley the province of Cáceres in Spain’s Extremadura. This hilly area is very sunny and had fertile soil. Whilst are around 40 varieties of cherry are produced there, the ‘Picota’ is the most important and has been growing in the area for about 600 years.
Because they are grown at varying altitudes, they have a harvesting period of 6 weeks or so, from mid-June, to the end of July. The taste of the cherry, which distinguishes it from others, is due to its high sugar content, and its balance between sweetness and acidity.
Maraschino cherries
A maraschino cherry is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-coloured sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann, Rainier, or Gold varieties. The cherries are first preserved in a brine solution usually containing sulphur dioxide or alcohol, then soaked in a suspension of food colouring (common red food dye, FD&C Red 40), sugar syrup, and other components.
They are commonly used as a garnish in cocktails.
- See also: Cerezas de la Montaña de Alicante
Black cherries
The black cherry, wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry (Prunus serotina), is a woody tree belonging to the genus Prunus. This cherry is native to eastern North America: including eastern Canada. In the mid 20th century it was widely introduced into Western and Central Europe as an ornamental tree where it has become locally naturalised.
The fruit is a drupe, 1 centimetre (0.39 in) in diameter, green to red at first, ripening to black; it is usually astringent and bitter when eaten fresh, but also somewhat sweet. The fruit is readily eaten by birds.
The fruit of Prunus serotina is suitable for making jam and pies, and has some use in flavoring liqueurs; they are also a popular flavoring for sodas and ice creams. The black cherry is commonly used instead of sweet cherries (Prunus avium) to achieve a sharper taste. It is also used in cakes which include dark chocolate, such as a Black Forest gateau and as garnishes for cocktails.
The wood of P. serotina is also used for cooking and smoking foods, where it imparts a unique flavour.
How much does one cup of cherries weigh?
Estimated US cup to weight equivalents:
| Ingredient | US Cups | Grams | Ounces | |
| Cherries | fresh/ pitted | 1 |
225 grams | 8 ounces |
Conversion notes:
Every ingredient has a cups to ounces or grams conversion table. Search for the ingredient, cup to weight conversions are at the end of each ingredient page.
We also have a generic conversion table and a portions per person lookup.
