Maraschino cherries

Maraschino cherries are flavoured cherries made usually from sweet cherries, specifically Royal Ann. These cherries have a single pit and can also be made from sour cherries. Most cherries that are made into maraschino cherries come from Oregon and Michigan. Originally a maraschino cherry was macerated with a cordial made with Marasca cherry-hence the name. However, these days, it is macerated in flavoured sugar syrup. Thus the brine in which it is preserved is sugar syrup and other added preservatives. Once flavoured, they are dyed into colours like orange, blue and pink- though the basic ones remains bright red. The cherries have the stem intact which gives them a beautiful appearance.