Black Tartarian Cherries

Black Tartarian cherries are popularly pickled in Russia to extend the fruit’s shelf life. Russia is known for having a short summer season, and the cherries are often grown in family gardens, also referred to as dachas. Each Black Tartarian cherry tree gives a lot of fruit, giving families plenty of fresh produce. Pickling is a popular food preservation method used all throughout Russia to preserve fruits for the long, cold winter. Pickled cherries have a tangy, sweet-tart flavor when infused that works well in both sweet and savory dishes. Traditionally used in salad dressings, pickled cherries balance flavors when coupled with rich, roasted meats. The pickled fruits are also well-liked for keeping their semi-firm texture and being able to be kept for up to a year in storage.

Averaging 2 to 3 centimeters in diameter and with a round, ovate to cordate form with a tiny depression where the stem attaches to the fruit, black Tartarian cherries are a medium to large kind. The cherry's skin is thin, glossy, taut, and smooth, and it ranges in color from reddish-purple to an almost black-purple. The green stem, which connects to the fruit's top, is thin, fibrous, and malleable. The flesh is a sensitive, occasionally squishy consistency, semi-firm, watery, and dark red to purple-black underneath the skin. A center, the light-brown pit is also enclosed in the flesh but is easily removed and does not stick. The flavor of black Tartarian cherries is intense, sweet, slightly tangy, fruity, and berry-like.