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Cherry
Nutrition:
Benefits and Nutritional Content
Cherries are beautiful looking red, deep red or
black small stone fruits which grows, in clusters,
from a tree. The fruit hangs from the tree
by its long thin stem, cherries grow in pairs. There
is also a variety of cherry grown which has a pale
yellow - cream color. Cherries are stone fruits, the
small stone lies in the centre of the fruit. The
skin is firm and the taste of cherry may be either
sweet or sour, depending on the type, some varieties
are suitable for only eating, and some types of
cherry are suitable for cooking. Darker cherries
tend to taste more sour than paler colored types
which usually taste sweeter, however, this is not
always the case. For more facts and information, see
varieties further down this page.
Cherry Nutrition: The History
of Cherries
The history of this fruit dates way back when the
Chinese first began cultivating the fruit centuries ago.
The first wild cherries were known as Mazzards, which is
a type of cherry that is still available today. Mazzards
are a sweet cherry, however, sour cherries were also
grown during the early years.
Cherry
Nutrition: Types of Cherries
There are hundreds of cherry
varieties available, some are sweet whilst others are
sour. Cherries are grouped under three categories which
include:
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Hybrid
cherry nutrition: hybrids are suitable for both eating
and cooking.
-
Sweet
cherry nutrition: sweeter varieties taste delicious,
therefore, they are suitable for eating raw.
-
Sour cherry
nutrition: due to the sharp, bitter taste, sour cherries are
not palatable, therefore, they are suitable for
cooking purposes only.
There are many
varieties of cherry grown, however, the following names,
descriptions and information covers some of the most
recognized and popular types of cherries:
Sweet
Cherry Nutrition: Facts and Benefits
Bing Cherry
nutrition: This is a large sweet cherry which falls under the Bigarreaus category as its flesh is crisp and firm,
unlike the Guines soft, fleshy texture. Bing cherries
are popularly grown in North America, they taste
delicious and sweet. This is a variety of red cherry.
Black Tartarian
Cherry nutrition: this is a sweet type of cherry which falls
under the Geans / Guines category as their flesh is
juicy and soft. As the name would suggest, the skin and
flesh of Black Tartarian cherries is a dark shade of
purple - black colors.
Early Rivers
Cherry nutrition: Like the Black Tartarians, the Early Rivers
cherries are also classified within the Geans / Guines
category as the fruit's texture and flesh is juicy and
soft. This is a sweet tasting, purple cherry.
Napoleon Cherry
nutrition: This variety is unusual as its a type of yellow
cherry, the skin is pale yellow with red flushing. The
taste of Napoleons is sweet, and similar to the Bing
cherry, Napoleon cherries are a Bigarreaus type as their
flesh has a a firm, crisp texture.
Ranier Cherry
nutrition: This is a soft, sweet and juicy cherry so it is
categorized under the Geans / Guines group, along with
varieties such as Black Tartarians and Early Rivers,
however, Ranier cherries are unique to many varieties as
this is a golden cherry with a tinge of pink.
Sour
Cherry Nutrition: Types of Cherries and Nutritional
Information
Amarelle Cherry
nutrition: This is a type of sour cherry which is inedible raw.
Amarelle cherries are popular, they are very good for
making jam and preserves. The cherry juice is
practically colorless.
English Cherry
nutrition: This is small variety with a sour flavor, a type of
bright orange red cherry. English cherries are ideal for
preserving in brandy.
Maraschino
Cherry nutrition: this is a special type as Maraschino
cherries are distilled in Maraschino, which is a sweet,
sticky, colorless Italian liqueur. When Maraschino
cherries were first developed, the types of cherries
distilled in this fabulous liqueur were Damasca cherries
or Amaresca cherries from Dalmatia. However, in more
recent times, the ordinary cherry has been used.
Montmorency
Cherry nutrition: This is a common name of cherry which
appears in various dishes. Montmorency cherries have a
combination of both sweet and sour tastes and flavors.
This is a variety of bright red cherries.
Morello Cherry
nutrition: Morellos are very popular and one of the main types of
sour cherries which are commonly recognized. Morello
cherries are small in size and deep red in color. The
Morello cherry juice is dark red. The fruit tastes very
sour so they are not ideal for eating raw unless
preserved in a liquid such as syrup or brandy. The
French name for Morello is Griottes. This is an ideal
cherry for making preserves and jam.
Yoshino Cherry
nutrition: this is a hybrid variety, the origin is unknown,
however, Yoshino cherries are sometimes referred to by
the name of 'The Japanese Cherry' which is
commonly eaten by birds. The taste is more sour than
sweet. It comes from a flowering cherry plant which is
popularly grown, particularly in Japan. This is a small
fruit which consists of more red cherry juice than
flesh. |
