Sour cherry (Prunus cerasus), also called tart cherry or morello cherry, is a species of cherry distinguished from sweet cherries by its pronounced acidity. The fruit is smaller than most sweet cherry varieties, typically bright to dark red, and has soft, juicy flesh with a sharp, tangy flavour that is too sour for most people to enjoy raw.
Sour cherries are the preferred variety for pies, jams, sauces, and cherry liqueurs — their acidity and concentrated flavour hold up far better in cooking than sweet cherries, which can become bland when heated. They are also dried, juiced, and frozen. The classic cherry pie, Black Forest cake, and cherry compote are all traditionally made with sour cherries.
Sour cherries are not widely grown in Australia but are available as frozen, dried, canned, or jarred products, mostly imported from Turkey, Eastern Europe, and the United States. Some small-scale production occurs in cooler parts of Victoria and Tasmania.
How it's produced
Sour cherry trees are grown in temperate climates that provide the cold winter dormancy period they require to fruit reliably. They are typically smaller and hardier than sweet cherry trees, and many varieties are self-pollinating, which simplifies orchard management.
The fruit ripens in mid to late summer over a short window of just a few weeks. Commercial harvest is usually mechanised — trunk-shaking machines vibrate the trees while a catch frame collects the falling fruit. Because sour cherries are fragile and spoil quickly once picked, the vast majority of the harvest is processed immediately into frozen, canned, dried, or juiced products rather than sold fresh.
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≈ Estimated from its category — typical for fruit, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
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