Do you know what is a prunus avium? Maybe not, but if I tell you the word cherry. Cherry is my favorite fruit. It that your favorite too?

The word “Prunus” is the Latin name for wild plum. “Avium” comes from Latin and means “from the birds“, alluding to the consumption of this fruits by the birds.

Cherries tree have been around since Prehistory. It is believed that the origin of the cherry tree was Asia Minor and that it reached Europe through migratory birds.

Myth or truth?

The truth is that many ancient peoples enjoyed the pleasure of eating cherries.

They came to the Iberian Peninsula in the hands of the Arabs.  The first records of cultivation date back to the 14th century. On June 2, 1352, several of Navarre’s king’s delegates went to Seville to meet the Christian king, Peter I. That night at dinner they were served trout and cherries.

Cherry tree in Al-Andalus

The agronomists of al-Andalus incorporated new hydraulic systems, fertilizer techniques and grafts systems.  According to established guidelines, only trees belonging to the same genus can be grafted on each other. Prunus is one of these varieties. Its fruit, the cherry, has many names in Arabic, including “Habb al-mulûk”, meaning “king’s grain”.

An interesting fact is that a Granada agronomist, al-Tignarî, mentions another variety in a document; the guindo (Prunus cerasus),

“acid mountain variety that is grown well in Sierra Nevada”.

This fruit are rich in vitamins K, A and C, as well as iron, calcium and phosphorus. They have a low fat content and no cholesterol. In addition, they are antioxidants and their energy value come mostly from carbohydrates.

Cherries have purifying properties. They can eliminate liquids since they contain potassium and lack sodium, which gives them a certain slimming power. In addition, cherries are recommended to people with osteoporosis or menopause given their iron and calcium content that fortifies the bones.

The cherry blossoms are white and bud simultaneously with the tree’s leaves, between March and May. Sometimes people confuse them with the almond tree.  Almond leaves are long and narrow, while the cherry leaf is oval and more pointed.

Its sweet fruit is a fleshy blackish red when ripe.  This summer, between the months of May to July, we will be able to see the colourful cherry trees in the Alhambra. I encourage you to enjoy this delicious fruit.