Maraschino cherry

A Maraschino cherry.

A maraschino cherry ( /mærəˈskiːnoʊ/ marr-ə-skee-noh or /mærəˈʃiːnoʊ/ marr-ə-shee-noh) is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries such as the Royal Ann, 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, FD&C Red 40), sugar syrup, and other components. Green maraschino cherries use a mint flavoring.^[1]

Maraschino cherries are an ingredient in many cocktails. As a garnish, they often are used to decorate frozen yogurt, baked ham, cakes, pastry, parfaits, milkshakes, ice cream sundaes, and ice cream sodas. They are also used as an accompaniment to sweet paan. They are also sometimes put in Coca-Colas to make an old-fashioned or homemade "Cherry Coke."

History

The name maraschino refers to the marasca cherry of Croatian origin and the maraschino liqueur made from it, in which maraschino cherries were crushed and sweetened. Whole cherries preserved in this liqueur were known as "maraschino cherries".^[1] They were, at first, produced for and consumed as a delicacy by royalty and the wealthy.

In the U.S.

The cherries were first introduced in the United States in the late 19th century, where they were served in fine bars and restaurants. By the turn of the century, American producers were experimenting with flavors such as almond extract and substituting Queen Anne cherries for marasca cherries. In 1912, the USDA defined "maraschino cherries" as "marasca cherries preserved in maraschino" under the authority of the Food and Drugs Act of 1906. The artificially-colored and sweetened Royal Anne variety were required to be called "Imitation Maraschino Cherries" instead.^[2] Food Inspection Decision 141, defined marasca cherries and maraschino themselves.^[3] It was signed on Feb. 17, 1912.^[4]

During Prohibition in the United States as of 1920, the decreasingly popular alcoholic variety was illegal as well. Ernest H. Wiegand, a professor of horticulture at Oregon State University, developed the modern method of manufacturing maraschino cherries using a brine solution rather than alcohol.^[5] Accordingly, most modern maraschino cherries have only a historical connection with maraschino liqueur.

According to Bob Cain, who worked with Wiegand at OSU, Prohibition had nothing to do with Wiegand's research: his intention was to develop a better brining process for cherries that would not soften them. When Wiegand began his research, there were several ways to preserve maraschino cherries without alcohol, long before Prohibition went into effect. Wiegand took a process that people had their own recipes for—"and who knows what they were putting in there" (frequently not alcohol)—and turned it into a science, something replicable.^[6]

When Wiegand began his research, sodium metabisulfite was being used to preserve maraschino cherries. Some accounts indicate that this preservation method was being used long before Prohibition. Some manufacturers used maraschino or imitation liqueurs to flavor the cherries, but newspaper stories from the early part of the century suggest that many manufacturers stopped using alcohol before Prohibition.

After Prohibition was repealed in 1933 the Food and Drug Administration revisited federal policy toward canned cherries. It held a hearing in April 1939 to establish a new standard of identity. Since 1940, "maraschino cherries" have been defined as "cherries which have been dyed red, impregnated with sugar and packed in a sugar sirup flavored with oil of bitter almonds or a similar flavor".^[2]

Red Numbers 1 and 4, and Yellow Numbers 1 through 4 were removed from the approved list in 1960. The ban on Red Number 4 was lifted in 1965 to allow the coloring of maraschino cherries, which is considered mainly decorative and not a foodstuff (Pavia, et al., Introduction to Organic Laboratory Techniques).^{[citation needed]}

See also

• A similar process produces Glace fruit.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Blech, Zushe Yosef (2009). Kosher Food Production. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 266. ISBN 0813820936. 
2. ^ ^{a b} U.S. FDA (1980-01-10). "Sec. 550.550 Maraschino Cherries". CPG 7110.11. http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074535.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-16. 
3. ^ USDA (July 1812). "Food Inspection Decision 141. The Labeling of Maraschino and Maraschino Cherries". California State Board of Health Monthly Bulletin (State Board of Health) 8 (1): 11–12. http://books.google.com/?id=krTHhGoGJuEC&pg=RA1-PA11. 
4. ^ Wiley, Harvey W. (1976). "Chapter III: Rules and Regulations". The History of a Crime Against the Food Law. Ayer. http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0303critic/030305wylie/030305ch3.html. Retrieved 2007-07-04. 
5. ^ Verzemnieks, Inara. Maraschino cherry in the Oregon Encyclopedia
6. ^ Verzemnieks, Inara (2006-02-12). "The fruit that made Oregon famous". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20070930040753/http://blog.oregonlive.com/oregoniantest/2007/04/the_fruit_that_made_oregon_fam.html. Retrieved 2007-07-04.