Botany – What kind of plant is this?
Sour cherries are deciduous and quite large trees. The fruits, which can grow up to 2 cm in size, can take on all different shades of red and are also a popular food source for birds. This helps to spread the seeds of the fruit more widely. In terms of taste, sour cherry fruits, as the name suggests, are more sour than sweet cherry fruits. They are also rich in iron. In Europe, they are cultivated more frequently than sweet cherries, mainly because they are much less susceptible to frost damage and are generally less demanding in terms of their environment. However, since the fruits are not particularly easy to store and transport, they are usually processed directly at the place of production and are less commonly used as fresh fruit.
Cultural history – How did the sour cherry come to us?
Unlike the sweet cherry, the sour cherry originates from southwest Asia; the first records of sour cherries in Europe date back to the Middle Ages. From then on, however, it quickly gained a reputation, primarily through cultivation in monastery gardens and orchards. There, it was processed into aromatic juice, wine, compote, and various desserts. The sour cherry is also essential for a well-known German cake specialty, the Black Forest Gateau.
Varieties – Which are recommended?
The most popular varieties include:
- Ludwigs Frühe: light red, harvest time May/June, juice does not stain
- Morell fire: black-red, July
- Köröser Weichsel: reddish-brown, July/August
- Morello cherry: dark red, July/August, susceptible to monilia
TEXT: Carina Naeve
