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Cherries

Fruits · Stone fruit

Cherries

Small, round stone fruits, sweet or sour, red to near-black; eaten fresh or cooked into pies and sauces.

Also called: cherry, kiraz, vişne

8 recipes with it

Photo: spurekar, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-2.0)

What it is

Cherries are small round fruits on long stems with glossy skin and a single hard stone. Sweet cherries (such as Bing) are dark red and eaten fresh; sour cherries (morello) are brighter red, softer and sharp, and are mostly cooked. Use a cherry pitter or a straw to push out stones.

Prunus avium

How it’s used

  • Eaten fresh in season
  • Baked in clafoutis, pies and Black Forest cake
  • Cooked into compote, jam and sauces for duck
  • Added to Turkish and Iranian rice and sweet dishes

Characteristics

Taste
Sweet and juicy, or sharp and tart for sour types.
Sold as
fresh, frozen, canned, dried
Cooking uses
Usually eaten raw, Suitable for baking, Commonly cooked

Kinds in our pantry

Storage

Refrigerated. Refrigerate unwashed and eat within a few days.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free
  • Do not crush or eat the stones; they contain cyanogenic compounds.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
63 kcal
Protein
1.06 g
Carbohydrate
16.01 g
Fat
0.2 g
Fibre
2.1 g
Sugars
12.82 g

USDA FoodData Central: Cherries, sweet, raw.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Plum — In bakes; chop them, larger and less sweet.

Related ingredients

Recipes with cherries

More stone fruit