Cherry
Cherry is a fruit that belongs to the plants of genus ‘prunus’. The edible species of cherry belongs to the family of wild cherry also known as ‘sweet cherry’. It is a fleshy fruit with a single seed inside. Cherries are normally pale yellow or dark red but can be purple or almost black, depending on the variety. The texture of cherries is usually plump with sweet or sour taste. Cherries are widely used in making cheery dishes that are well-liked in international cuisine. Some popular cherry recipes are cherry sorbet, cherry pie and cherry pudding.
Culinary Use of Cherry
Cherry has sweet and sour taste that makes it a widely used ingredient in sweet and savory dishes. Cherry recipes may include dried, fresh or even canned cherries. Most of the uses of cherry are found in making sweet dishes such as
pies,
soufflé, sorbets and puddings,
soup,
soda,
scone,
smoothie,
cheese cake (also
see). Cherry is a very integral part of confectionery items. Cherry cakes and pastries are world famous. For garnishing purposes, cherry is considered as a first choice of chefs. Due to its small size and bright color, cherry is added to various
salads (also
see ). While making
jams (also
see),
spreads ( also
see ) and
relishes (also
see ) ; cherry plays and important part. Even
meats are often made with cherry glaze (also
see ).
Liquors ( also see
here and
here )and
juices are also some of the popular cherry recipes. And cherry is good for eating raw also.
Methods of Making Cherry Dishes
1. Flambéed – Flambéed cherries are quiet popular in making dessert dishes in French cuisines.
2. Baked – Cherries are fondly added to make confectionery items such as cakes, muffins, pies and cookies.
3. Churned – Cherries are churned in blender to make cherry pulp.
4. Boiled – Cherry sauce is made while boiling the cherry pulp.
Cherries added in
dessert items,
icecerams (also
see ), added with
breakfast oatmeal ( also
see ),
Cherry clafouti,
Ham with cherry sauce,
chocolate dipped cherry, Mini Cherry
Cheesecakes (also
see ),
cookies, Cherries jubilee,
cobbler,
crisp,
Kirsch – It is a kind of brandy made up of cherry juice. It’s a quiet popular in making desserts and fondues.
Types of Cherry
There are more than 1000 varieties of cherries. The edible varieties can be divided into following categories:
Sweet Cherries:
1. Napoleon – It is also known as ‘royal ann’ cherry. It’s a sweet cherry with pinkish red skin and juicy flesh.
2. Bing – Bing cherries are red or deep-maroon in color. This is one of sweetest variety of cherry.
Sour Cherries:
1. Morello – It is one of the most popular varieties of cherry used to make cherry dishes such as pies, jam and preserves.
2. Amarelle – This cherry is yellow in color with juicy flesh.
Cherry Trivia
Kane in Pennsylvania is the largest producer of black cherry hence known as black cherry capital. Long time ago, it was not allowed in Kansas to serve cherry pies with ice cream topping.
Selection and storage
Cherry fruit season lasts from end of May until August in the United States. Fresh ripe cherries have short shelf life. In the store, choose cherries that have bright, shiny skin with green stalk firmly attached at the top end of the fruit.
Keep fresh cherries in the refrigerator. Whenever you wish to eat them, just rinse cherries in water to remove dirt and to bring them back to room temperature. Then, gently pat dry with soft cloth to remove moisture.
As raw fruit, sweet cherries provide little
nutrient content per 100 g serving.
Dietary fiber and
vitamin C are present in the most significant content while other vitamins and dietary minerals each supply less than 10% of the Daily Value per serving, respectively.
Compared to sweet cherries, raw sour cherries contain higher content per 100 g of vitamin C and vitamin A.
Anti-inflammation – Cherries are an important part of an anti-inflammatory diet, making them great allies in the fight against issues like arthritis and even heart disease. Inflammation is believed to be at the center of numerous chronic illnesses and conditions, so cherries can add something sweet and diverse to a diet designed to fight them.
Cancer-fighting – Cherries are loaded with a type of antioxidants known as anthocyanins, which can actually stop cancer in its tracks.
Gout prevention and treatment – Gout is a painful disorder characterized by an overabundance of uric acid in the body. Cherries lower uric acid and C-reactive protein levels. According to one study, just 45 sweet cherries can provide relief. Cherries may be one of the best home remedies for gout.
Improved sleep – Melatonin, the hormone that regulates our sleep and wake cycles, is difficult to find in natural food sources. But, cherries is one of the few places where it is abundant. Tart cherry juice in particular has been proven to increase melatonin levels that could improve your quality of sleep.
Blood pressure management – Adding on to the health benefits of cherries, the tiny red delight may also be among many solutions for high blood pressure, partly due to containing high levels of potassium. They also contain quercetin, important in maintaining vascular health.
Cherries are both tasty and beneficial to your health.
Read More at Wikipedia.
Recipe using Cherry see Here , Here and Here.
