Sour Cherry

Serbia possesses both tradition and know-how for growing sour cherry – nine million sour cherry trees and almost two million of a sweet variety. Sour cherry is grown on plantations and its fruit is used for juices, jams and compotes, but it is also stored frozen for all sorts of cakes, pies and creams.  Small, astringent fruits of old varieties (rather hard to find nowadays) are ideal for making a sweet cherry brandy.

LANGUAGE

The Serbian word višnjа [viʃ-nya] a sour cherry, may also be a female name, from which the surname Višnjić derives. “Women’s brandy” made of sour cherry is actually a liqueur.

ART

Sour Cherry Bore Its Fruit (Višnjičicа rоd rоdilа), a folk song.

GEOGRAPHY

In south-eastern Serbia, in the Nišаva region, around the village of Оblаčinа (Меrоšinа municipality) a special variety of sour cherry is grown – оblаčinskа višnjа, and they are quite sour. There is also a domestic cultivar, the šumаdinkа, produced at the Čаčak Institute of Agriculture.