Cultivar 'Marasca' Higher classification Prunus | Rank Variety | |
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Similar Sour Cherry, Prunus, Plavac Mali, Sweet Cherry, Rosaceae | ||
The Marasca cherry (Prunus cerasus var. marasca) is a type of sour 'Morello cherry' known only from cultivation. The 'Marasca' cherry as grown in coastal Croatia (historic Dalmatia) is reputed to attain its finest flavour. The fruit's largest yield is in Zadar in Croatia, but it has been successfully cultivated in northern Italy, Slovenia, southern Hungary and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has become naturalized in North America, though the "maraschino cherry" of American commerce is the Royal Ann variety of sweet cherry.
The name 'marasca' comes from the Italian words 'amarasca' and 'amaro', which stem from the Latin word 'amÄrus' (meaning bitter).
The variety was first published by Roberto de Visiani in Flora dalmatica, 1850.
Compared to other cherries, the fruit of the Marasca cherry tree is small. with Anthocyanins accounting for its dark, near black colour. Its bitter taste and drier pulp make Marasca cherries ideal for creating fine cherry liqueur. By definition, true Maraschino liqueur is supposed to be made only from Marasca cherries. The Marasca cherry was also the original base cherry used to make Maraschino cherries.
