Big, red and sweet: that's how we like cherries

Cherries mark the beginning of good weather, of long days, of heat. They are the wise fruit, which brings a thousand and one benefits to the body, and which allows us to play with them, both in the form of earrings and in the kitchen, with savory and sweet dishes.

Classification of varieties according to harvest time

Cherry varieties from Catalonia

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El Segrià and Ribera d’Ebre consolidate themselves as the leading Catalan regions in cherry production, with a harvest exceeding 4,000 tons.

Nutritional properties

Cherries are loaded with polyphenols, top-notch antioxidants. They help the intestines cool down because they provide fresh fiber. And, what's more, if you use the green part, the so-called cherry stem, we get a highly potent diuretic.

Gastronomy and cherries

Diuretic drink from cherry stems

Ingredients and recipe

Cherry cakes, the sweet of Reus for Corpus

In Reus, at Forn Sistaré, pastry chef Xavi Pàmies assures that the cherry cake is one of the most loved preparations of late spring and early summer, especially for Corpus Christi.

“It all started with a legend from Reus that tells of a man in Plaça de la Farinera who weighed flour and, one day when he had a surplus and couldn't sell any more, he thought of making cherry cakes to give to the children,” explains baker Xavi Pàmies. “Now many bakeries and pastry shops in Reus prepare them, but we, on the morning of Corpus Christi, give away cherry cakes in Plaça del Mercadal for the little ones and in the afternoon we also give them to the whole city,” he continues. In total, Forn Sistaré gives away 4,000 cherry cakes.

The Reus cherry cake is made with brioche dough and fresh cherries, which are baked for 15 minutes.

A savory recipe from the 17th century

An old recipe from Maresme is chicken with cherries. The preparation dates from the 17th century and would have its origin in the Arquer family of Goscons d’Arenys de Munt.

To prepare it, the cherries must be boiled (cleaned of stems and pits) in a light syrup (equal proportions of water and sugar) for three minutes, and then left to cool. Meanwhile, the chicken is cooked in the oven.

In the original recipe, the chicken was cut into eighths, placed in the baking dish, seasoned with salt and pepper, and savory was added. The chicken should be browned in the oven, stirred so that all parts are roasted, and sprinkled with old wine. All together for a good hour. In the last 10 minutes, the previously reserved cherries are added. On the plate, each piece should be accompanied by the cooking juices and the cherries.

Infographic in the ARA Diumenge paper