Cherry: the story on HearLore

Cherry

The English word cherry derives from Old Northern French or Norman cherise from the Latin cerasum, referring to an ancient Greek region, Kerasous near Giresun, Turkey, from which cherries were first thought to be exported to Europe. This linguistic journey traces back to the 72nd year before the Common Era when Lucius Licinius Lucullus brought a cultivated cherry from northeastern Anatolia, also known as the Pontus region, to Rome. The fruit had been consumed throughout its range since prehistoric times, extending through most of Europe, western Asia, and parts of northern Africa. The story of the cherry is not merely one of agriculture but of ancient trade routes and imperial ambition, where a single fruit became a symbol of Roman expansion into the eastern Mediterranean. The name itself serves as a historical marker, preserving the memory of a specific town in modern-day Turkey that served as the gateway for this fruit to the Western world.

The Royal Orchard

Cherries were introduced into England at Teynham, near Sittingbourne in Kent, by order of Henry VIII, who had tasted them in Flanders. All the cherry gardens and orchards of Kent are said to have been stocked with the Flemish cherry from a plantation of 105 acres in Teynham, made with foreign cherries, pippin apples, and golden rennets apples, done by the fruiterer of Henry VIII. The crest of a cherry tree fructed proper and motto known by their fruits were only granted on the 28th of July 1949, however, linking the modern era to these ancient plantings. The fruit arrived in North America around 1606 in the New France colony of Port Royal, which is modern-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Richard Guthrie described in 1629 the fruitful valley adorned with great variety of fruit trees, chestnuts, pears, apples, cherries, plums and all other fruits. This rapid spread across continents highlights the adaptability of the species and its immediate integration into the diets of European settlers and indigenous populations alike.

The Cold Requirement

Like most temperate-latitude trees, cherry trees require a certain number of chilling hours each year to break dormancy and bloom and produce fruit. The number of chilling hours required depends on the variety, and because of this cold-weather requirement, no members of the genus Prunus can grow in tropical climates. Most cherry varieties have a chilling requirement of 800 or more hours, meaning that in order to break dormancy, blossom, and set fruit, the winter season needs to have at least 800 hours where the temperature is below freezing. Low chill varieties requiring 300 hours or less are Minnie Royal and Royal Lee, requiring cross-pollinization, whereas the cultivar, Royal Crimson, is self-fertile. These varieties extend the range of cultivation of cherries to the mild winter areas of southern US. This is a boon to California producers of sweet cherries, as California is the second largest producer of sweet cherries in the US. The biological imperative for cold creates a unique agricultural landscape where the fruit thrives only in specific latitudes and seasons.

Common questions

Where did the English word cherry originate from?

The English word cherry derives from Old Northern French or Norman cherise from the Latin cerasum, referring to an ancient Greek region, Kerasous near Giresun, Turkey. This linguistic journey traces back to the 72nd year before the Common Era when Lucius Licinius Lucullus brought a cultivated cherry from northeastern Anatolia to Rome.

When were cherries introduced into England and by whom?

How many chilling hours do cherry trees require to produce fruit?

Most cherry varieties have a chilling requirement of 800 or more hours, meaning that in order to break dormancy, blossom, and set fruit, the winter season needs to have at least 800 hours where the temperature is below freezing. Low chill varieties requiring 300 hours or less are Minnie Royal and Royal Lee, requiring cross-pollinization, whereas the cultivar, Royal Crimson, is self-fertile.

What happens if you eat cherry pits and how many are needed to cause symptoms?

The cherry kernels contain amygdalin, a chemical that releases the toxic compound hydrogen cyanide when ingested. Symptoms would show only after eating several crushed pits, 3 to 4 of the Morello variety or 7 to 9 of the red or black varieties, while swallowing the pits whole normally causes no complications.

Which countries produced the most sweet cherries in 2020 and what was the total production?

In 2020, world production of sweet cherries was 2.61 million tonnes, with Turkey producing 28% of this total. Other major producers of sweet cherries were the United States and Chile, while world production of sour cherries in 2020 was 1.48 million tonnes, led by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and Serbia.

How long does it take for a cherry tree to produce its first crop and reach full maturity?

A cherry tree will take three to four years once it is planted in the orchard to produce its first crop of fruit, and seven years to attain full maturity. The dual utility of the cherry tree, providing both a delicious fruit and a prized timber, has ensured its economic importance for centuries.