Types of Cherries {The EASY Need-to-Know Guide}

Basic Types of Cherries

With over 1,000 different types of cherWith over 1,000 different types of cherries, there is a cherry out there for everyone’s taste buds. Maraschino, black, bing and rainier cherries are the most familiar types..

The choke cherry, black stone cherry, morello, north star, napoleon, and Spanish cherry cherries are some of the less well-known types.

Many come from the subgenus Cerasus and are cultivated in the Northern Hemisphere in at least twenty countries. These tasty antioxidant fruits grow best in temperate climates, and their peak season is summer. However, the seeds of cherry do require some cold to germinate, which is why they cannot grow in tropical weather. With all the types of cherry, it’s hard to know where to start.

Tart Cherry vs. Sweet Cherry

Unfortunately, only some types are edible or as delicious as others. Maraschino, black, bing and rainier cherries are the most popular cherries. You can find these cherries in supermarkets all across the western world. The following is a list of the more familiar types of cherries, along with some lesser-known (but not obscure) ones: Here is a list of cherry types.

• Bing
• Black
• Black Stone Cherry
• Chelan
• Choke Cherry
• Lapins
• Maraschino
• Morello
• Napoleon
• North Star
• Rainier
• Spanish Cherry
• Sweetheart
• Tieton

Cherry Categories

Most often, cherry types are divided into two categories: sweet (P. avium) and sour (P. cerasus). Sweet cherries are often eaten plain, while sour/tart cherries are used for cooking (adding flavor and the like). These two categories have different benefits.

Sweet Cherries

Sweet cherries are less physically healthy, providing both fiber and vitamin C but not in quantities as significant (to Daily Value) as sour cherries. On the other hand, sour cherries contain high percentages of vitamins A and C and beta carotene.

These cherries come from Western Asia and Eastern Europe, but they are now most popular in Northern America. This is because the ancestors of most sweet cherries are, in fact, sour cherries. To this end, bing cherries are one of the most popular types of sweet cherries out there.

It’s indicated that you consume them raw and fresh after you’ve made sure you picked the juicy fleshed ones with shiny skin. A great indicator of their freshness is a bright green stem.

Acerola Cherry

The acerola cherry is reported to have a vitamin C content higher than any other fruit we know of. You can find this type of cherry growing in the Western Hemisphere, and it’s also traded under the name West Indies cherry or Barbados cherry.

Although not an actual cherry, since the fruit resembles a berry more than anything else, acerola has been recognized as a potent aid with all sorts of ailments, including those related to the liver, dysentery, diarrhea, depression, fungal infections, colds, and coughs. More recently, the medical industry has started considering introducing its vitamin C extract in daily supplements, but further research is still needed.

The acerola cherry is highly perishable, so it’s recommended that you grow it on your own and freeze it as soon as you pick it. This is another reason you mostly find this fruit in supplements, such as powder, tincture, capsule, and even in chewable form.

Bing Cherries

Bing cherries and Rainier cherries are extremely well-known varieties, and the former is produced primarily in Michigan. Bing cherries are extremely popular, especially since they have that classic heart shape that most cherries have and because the taste is vibrant, sweet, and tangy, with a juicy yet firm interior.

The Bing cherry obtained its name from a Manchurian Chinese immigrant, Ah Bing, and is now very popular in the United States. This type of cherry is an excellent source of iron, calcium, vitamins A and C, boron, and potassium. Due to their delicious taste, they are an excellent addition to any dessert.

They can be paired well with vanilla, cream, marzipan, cinnamon, peaches, nutmeg, and the list can go on. You can quickly eat these cherries fresh, canned, or frozen.

Rainier Cherries

The Rainier cherry is a particular type of cherry since it was developed at the Washington State University in 1952, by Harold Fogle, as a cross between the ‘Van’ and ‘Bing’ cultivars. This low-acid type of cherry has a creamy yellow to medium yellow-orange color, perfectly paired with its sweet, caramel-like taste. Most people eat them fresh, but they can also serve as a tasty ingredient in summer dessert dishes.

This cherry’s name comes from Washington State’s largest mountain, Mt. Rainier, rising tall at 14,409 ft. The Rainier cherry is the only known cherry with a holiday of its own – celebrated on the 11th of July of each year, just in time for the peak Rainier cherry crop in Washington State. Most cherry trees need two pollinators. Rainier cherry trees are typically planted between dark-sweet cherry trees in orchards to provide this alternate pollen source.

Queen (Royal) Anne Cherries

This type of cherry has several names. Sometimes called Royal Ann, Royal Anne, Queen Anne, or Napoleon, this cherry is a yellow to light-pink skinned cherry that ripens in early December, with a sweet and tangy taste that is unmistakable among cherries. Its origin is Germany, and it’s not a self-fertile type of cherry tree. However, these cherries are excellent for consuming raw.

Because they are firm and fleshy, they’re often the type of cherry you’ll get in a can and are sometimes considered pie cherries because of their popularity in desserts and jam or sauces.

Lapins Cherry

The Lapins cherry is a type of cherry that was developed in British Columbia as a cross between the Van and Stella cultivars. This tree type is self-fertile and an excellent pollen source for other cherry varieties.

The Lapins cherry is seen as a high-quality type of cherry – it turns deep red before it is ready to pick and is sweet while still red. This type of cherry is highly versatile and can be eaten raw, juiced, dried, preserved, or cooked while also making great pairings with smoked meats, cheeses, pistachios, ginger, dark chocolate, and so on.

Morello Cherry

Morello cherries are of the sour variety. Although they can also be consumed raw, mostly when perfectly ripe, they are primarily used in desserts, pies, drinks, and other recipes. These dark red cherries are more prevalent in Europe, and their red-blood juice is often an excellent ingredient for cocktails.

Montmorency Cherries

Montmorency cherries are famous in the midwest U.S. and fit into the sour category. The Montmorency tart cherry contains a healthy dose of melatonin, a natural sleep cycle regulator, fiber, antioxidants, beta-carotene, and potassium. In addition, the Montmorency cherry greatly supports healthy joint and cardiovascular function thanks to its anthocyanin composition.

Balaton Cherries

The Balaton cherry is a type of cherry that originated in Hungary, after which it started being grown commercially in the US in the 1980s.

Compared to the Montmorency cherry, which has light-colored flesh, the Balaton cherry has a darker, burgundy color. It is sweeter, albeit tangy in taste. Like the Montmorency cherry, the Balaton variety is also perishable. It is especially prone to experiencing damage brought on by harsh winter conditions.

However, the Balaton cherry is pretty firm. It can be harvested by hand without the stem since the fruit naturally develops a particular cell layer at the stem attachment, which acts as an organic sealer.

Black Cherries

As the name suggests, black cherries are a much darker type of cherry (although it’s more of a deep-red/black color than pure black). They’re similar to chokecherries but taller, and the fruit is sweeter. They’re popular as a pie filling or eaten raw alongside yogurt or if you’re feeling less healthy, on top of ice cream sundaes.

Utah Giant Cherries

Developed from a Bing cherry, the Utah Giant cherry tree originated in Utah – unsurprisingly – in 1981 and produced a much larger cherry than other plants. The fruit and pulp are a deep red with a sweet taste – in Utah, it’s considered the best of the sweet cherries. As a sweet cherry, it does contain less of the nutrients that a sour cherry would, but they’re a delicious treat.

Chelan Cherries

Chelan cherries are another variant of Bing. They share many of the same qualities – they look similar, taste just as juicy and are almost identical from a nutrition perspective. However, the tree has many benefits to make it popular with commercial growers – the fruit ripens two weeks earlier than Bing, it’s more resistant to cracking, and fewer imperfect double cherries are produced.

Skeena Cherries

Skeena cherries originated in Canada around 2000 and were originally bred specifically for commercial purposes. However, it has a larger-than-average stone and is more acidic than many other cherries. The fruits split easily, so they aren’t a hardy variety and are more susceptible to diseases like brown rot. It’s not very common, but the larger dark red fruits are sometimes popular because of their more acidic flavor, which can work well in some recipes.

Maraschino Cherries

Maraschino cherries are among the most popular types of cherries across the globe since they have been widely used as a garnish for cocktails and desserts. These cherries get their name from the process developed to preserve them. Sour marasca cherries from the Dalmatian Coast used to be soaked in maraschino liqueur and distilled from the same cherries’ flesh, stems, leaves, and pits.

The Maraschino cherry has had a twisted existence in the United States since it was initially removed from the market during Prohibition. Further on, in the 1920s, a new way to preserve these cherries was developed to not include alcohol while also removing flavor and color. These were later kept in sugar syrup, and color was artificially added. However, nowadays, you can find completely organic Maraschino cherries in specialized food markets – their color is added with the help of beet or radish juice. What distinguishes these cherries, as you find them in the supermarkets, is their taste which resembles that of candy more than the taste of fresh fruit.

Due to their high sugar composition, Maraschino cherries are easy enough to store as long as you prioritize a dark and cool location. Compared to the fresh cherry varieties, Maraschino cherries pack very few nutritional benefits. They should be avoided for regular consumption since mass-produced brands may add unhealthy flavorings and colorings.

Tulare Cherries

Tulare cherries are close cousins of the Bing cherry, with a small point at the bottom of the fruit developing when ripe. They range from a bright to a darker red and have a firm texture, and they are a mix of sweet and tart in flavor. They’re a good source of vitamins A and C and another good option for anthocyanins.

Lambert Cherries

Lambert cherries are famous commercially because, unlike many other cherry trees, they don’t require perfect conditions to bear fruit. The cherries produced are bright red and heart-shaped and extremely popular in North America. They’re crisp, sweet, juicy, and great for eating raw or baking.

Napoleon Cherry

The Napoleon cherry is a yellow-skinned cherry that ripens in early December, with a sweet and tangy taste that is unmistakable among cherries. Its origin is Germany, and it’s not a self-fertile type of cherry tree. However, the Napoleon cherries are excellent for consuming raw.

Tieton Cherries

The Tieton type of cherry is a very aesthetically pleasing type of cherry that is large, plump, and with a mouth-watering mahogany glossy finish. This type of cherry ripens by the end of May and presents a mildly sweet taste.

The Tieton cherry tree is vigorous but does not yield a significant quantity of fruit – it is recommended that it is planted with more than one type of pollinizer. Tieton cherries are displayed in most grocery stores due to their sweet flavor, large size, and glossiness, making them appear enticing.

Lapins Cherries

The Lapins cherry is a type of cherry that was developed in British Columbia as a cross between the Van and Stella cultivars. This tree type is self-fertile and an excellent pollen source for other cherry varieties. The Lapins cherry is seen as a high-quality type of cherry – it turns deep red before it is ready to pick and is sweet while still red. This type of cherry is highly versatile and can be eaten raw, juiced, dried, preserved, or cooked while also making great pairings with smoked meats, cheeses, pistachios, ginger, dark chocolate, and so on.

Sweetheart Cherries

Sweetheart cherries are some of the easiest to grow at home, provided you live in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 7. They’re known for their sweet but mildly tart flavor and almost impeccable heart shape. They’re late bloomers, producing fruit three weeks after many other trees. Still, because they’re self-pollinating, you don’t need to plant another tree nearby for it to grow, something that many other cherry trees do require.

Stella Cherries

Stella cherries were developed in Canada as a hybrid of the Lambert cherry and a self-fertile seedling cultivated in Norwich, England. Stella cherries were the first variant to self-pollinate and be named, meaning they don’t need another cherry tree close by to blossom. The cherries ripen early in the year, are dark red, and, slightly larger than average, rich in flavor.

Acerola Cherries

The acerola cherry is reported to have a vitamin C content higher than any other fruit we know of. You can find this type of cherry growing in the Western Hemisphere, and it’s also traded under the name West Indies cherry or Barbados cherry.

Although not a genuine cherry, since the fruit resembles a berry more than anything else, acerola has been recognized as a potent aid with all sorts of ailments, including those related to the liver, dysentery, diarrhea, depression, fungal infections, colds, and coughs.

More recently, the medical industry has started considering introducing its vitamin C extract in daily supplements, but further research is still needed.

The acerola cherry is highly perishable, so it’s recommended that you grow it on your own and freeze it as soon as you pick it. This is another reason you mostly find this fruit in supplements, such as powder, tincture, capsule, and even in chewable form.

Health Benefits of Cherries

Research has been conducted to establish the number of anthocyanins in cherries and their effects. So far, the studies suggest that cherries can affect inflammation and pain.

In one study, tart cherry powder combined with a high-fat diet was fed to rats. These rats did not gain as much body weight as others. This suggests tart cherries could reduce weight gain, but further research is necessary.

Most recently, scientists have tested cherries’ effect on sufferers of gout. They found that individuals who eat cherries regularly had a 35-75% lower risk of experiencing an attack of gout, which causes joint inflammation that is incredibly painful.

The lead researcher of this study urges sufferers not to give up on their gout medication but to increase their cherry intake in combination with it.

The year following this study, the research team checked in with participants and found that those consuming cherry extract had a 45% decrease in attacks. However, the most significant change was for those eating raw cherries, who experienced a 75% drop. Simply amazing! For more information, read how cherries work to prevent gout.

Apart from this, cherries also play an integral part in the fight against diabetes, and this is because their glycemic index is much lower than other fruits.

This means your insulin and blood sugar levels will not be severely impacted when consuming these fruits. Having said this, cherries also protect against diabetes and help manage this condition if you already suffer.

Cherries are also a favorite among athletes since they reduce post-workout soreness. When consuming cherries, there is less wear and tear at a cellular level. As a result, muscles are much better supported in their recovery.

These unique fruits are also a powerhouse of antioxidants that will help fight free radicals in the body, which protects against premature cellular aging. Apart from this, they are a natural source of the melatonin hormone, which regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycles. So if you’re having trouble sleeping, you may want to try and increase your cherries intake before sleep.

Colon cancer may also be prevented when you include cherries in your diet. The dietary fiber it contains will help with weight issues that are usually a factor in developing seven types of cancer. Cherries also provide a great source of anthocyanins, which may enhance your memory.

FAQs

As you can see, there is a wide variety of cherries available on the market for you to choose from and enjoy. Just pick the right ones for you and enjoy them as part of your new antioxidant-rich diet.