Where did cherries start?

Answer 1

Cherries are native to the temperate areas of eastern Asia Minor, in the fertile area between the Black and Caspian Seas, and were probably carried to Europe by birds. Cherry cultivation dates back to 300 BC, making them one of the world's oldest cultivated fruits, along with their cousins, apricots.

Cultivation of sweet cherries likely began with Greeks, and later Romans, who valued the tree's timber as well as its fruit. Their name comes originally from the Greek kerasos, which in turn derives from the Assyrian karsu. The Latin name means "fruit of the birds." Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Chinese loved cherry trees for their beautiful flowers and their versatile fruit.

Although a different species of cherry was already strongly established in America by the time the first colonists arrived, sweet cherries came to America in 1629 with English colonists, and later to California with Spanish missionaries. French colonists from Normandy brought pits that they planted along the Saint Lawrence River and on down into the Great Lakes area. Cherry trees were part of the gardens of French settlers as they established Detroit, Vincennes, and other mid-western settlements. Eventually the European varieties were cross-bred with the American varieties.

Modern-day cherry production began in the mid-19th century. In 1847, Henderson Lewelling planted an orchard in Western Oregon, using nursery stock that he had transported by ox cart from Iowa. Lewelling Farms became known for its sweet cherries during the 1870s and 1880s. The most famous sweet cherry variety is the Bing cherry, which developed by Lewelling in 1875 and named for one of the orchard's Manchurian foreman. The most popular variety is the Bing cherry, which was developed by Seth Luelling od Milwaukie, Oregon in 1875. Another sweet cherry variety, the Lambert, also got its start on Lewelling Farms. The Rainier cherry, a light sweet variety, originated from the cross breeding of the Bing and Van varieties by Dr. Harold W. Fogle at the Washington state University Research Station in Prosser, Washington. The Bing, Lambert, and Rainier varieties together account for more than 95% of the Northwest sweet cherry production. There are now thousands of varieties of cherries and most are still picked by hand.

Today, 90 percent of the commercial cherry crop is grown in the US, mostly in Michigan, Oregon and Washington. Michigan grows about 75% of the tart cherry crop. Oregon and Washington harvest about 60% of the sweet cherry crop. Other states with commercial cherry crops are Utah, Wisconsin, New York, Pennsylvania, and California.

Answer 2

The English word Cherry was originally the Old English word chirie which referred to the popular small stone fruit (actually of the rose family). The cherry has been known in Western Europe since Roman times where it was believed first brought to Rome from the Anatolian region of what is now Turkey. The modern Turkish city of Giresun sits in this region. Giresun was known to the Greeks (and later the Romans) as Choerades or Cerasus and its believed that it was this city that gave its name to the fruit we know today.

Answer 3

Initially, the cherries were introduced in the Roman,Greek and Chinese kingdoms.