Maraschino cherry

This article is about the fruit. For the film by Radley Metzger, see Maraschino Cherry (film).
Not to be confused with Glacé fruit.

Luxardo-brand maraschino cherries
Close-up, maraschino cherry

A maraschino cherry (/ˌmærəˈskiːnoʊ, -ˈʃiː-/ MARR-ə-SKEE-noh, -⁠SHEE-) is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann,[1] Rainier, or Gold varieties. In their modern form, the cherries are first preserved in a brine solution usually containing sulfur dioxide and calcium chloride to bleach the fruit, then soaked in a suspension of food coloring (common red food dye is FD&C Red 40), sugar syrup, and other components.[2]

  1. ^ Murray, M.T.; Pizzorno, J.; Pizzorno, L. (2010). The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Atria Books. p. 264. ISBN 978-1-4391-0344-9. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  2. ^ "Who Made That Maraschino Cherry?". New York Times Magazine. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2015. In 1925, Wiegand discovered that adding calcium salts to the preserving brine firmed up the fruit.