Cherry Facts & Folklore

Where did cherries originate? How much did the world’s heaviest cherry weigh? Read on to become the cherry trivia expert:

• Cherries are drupes, or stone fruits, and are related to plums, peaches and nectarines.
• It is believed that the sweet cherry originated in the area between the Black and Caspian Seas in Asia Minor around 70 B.C. The Romans introduced them to Britain in the first century A.D.
• The English colonists brought cherries to North America in the 1600’s.
• The word ‘cherry’ comes from the French word ‘cerise,’ which in turn comes from the Latin words cerasum and Cerasus, the classical name of the modern city Giresun in Turkey.
• Records indicate that cherries were a prized food in a region of China dating back to 600 BC – fit for royalty and cherished by locals.
• There are more than 1,000 varieties of cherries in the United States, but fewer than 10 are produced commercially.
• On average, there are about 44 cherries in one pound.
• In an average crop year, a sweet cherry tree will produce 800 cherries.
• Seventy percent of the cherries produced in the United States are grown in the Northwest.
• Stemilt Growers is the world’s largest shipper of sweet cherries.
• While they have long been a popular dessert fruit, cherries were used for their medicinal purposes in the 15th and 16th centuries.
• Broadway in New York shifts west at East 10th Street because a cherry tree once stood there.
• Despite the short fruiting season, Americans consume an average of 1.5 pounds of cherries each year.
• The world's heaviest cherry was grown by Gerardo Maggipinto (Italy) and weighed 21.69 g (0.76 oz) on June 21, 2003. The cherry was presented at La Grande Ciliegia, in Sammichele di Bari, Italy.