So What Flavor Are Maraschino Cherries Anyways?

With a color that approaches fluorescent, it's hard to believe that maraschino cherries are made from real fruit, and they certainly don't taste like it. But they also don't have the fake cherry flavor that you might find in soda or popsicles. So if they don't taste of cherries, what flavor are they?

The truth is that it will depend on where they come from, what color they are, and even what brand you buy. The classic fire red maraschino made in the U.S. often has no flavor apart from simply sugary but can also have a subtle almond flavor. The rainbow of different maraschino cherries will also taste different depending on the brand. Yellow could mean flavored with lemon or they could taste exactly like the red version. Similarly, green could be unflavored, or taste of lime or mint, so be sure to check the label before introducing new flavors to your cocktail or upside-down cake recipe.

High-quality imported maraschino cherries like Luxardo (at close to $20 a jar) or those made in a what's now considered the traditional or Old World style are different in both appearance and flavor. The taste and texture is much more like fresh cherries, but with tart flavors, notes of almond and spice.

To understand how these two different styles of the same food came about, you need to understand the history of the maraschino cherry. They hail from the Dalmatian Coast (part of the Kingdom of Italy back in the 16th century and now part of Croatia) where sour marasca cherries were grown. As a way of preserving the harvest, the cherries were brined then soaked in a liqueur made from the same fruit, known as maraschino, along with the pits and stems.

This boozy fruit began to gain global popularity as a cocktail garnish around the turn of the 20th century, but at the time, America's Prohibition was in full swing. Determined to make something for the local market, a professor, Ernest H. Weigand, found that soaking cherries in calcium chloride and sulfur dioxide preserved them just as well. There was just one problem: The process removed both flavor and color. The solution was to dye them red artificially, and soak them in syrup, adding artificial almond flavor to mimic the flavor of the pits in the original recipe.

These days, neither the U.S. nor traditional styles use alcohol. Old World maraschino cherries still use the dark sour marasca, and come packed in a syrup made from the same fruit. American maraschinos are usually made from Gold, Rainier, or Royal Ann types of cherries, all of which have a lighter color. Though the cherries now provide little more than the structure, this candied fruit has a nostalgic appeal. Picture an ice cream sundae or banana split and it's just not the same without its bright red topper.