What Flavor Is Actually Behind Maraschino Cherries?

Few know the story of the maraschino cherry or why it tastes the way it does. Simply put, Prohibition forced what were once fancy liqueur cherries to lose their liqueur.

In Croatia, uniquely sour cherries grow on the marasca tree and are jarred with a cherry liqueur, which preserves them and gives them a sweet, slightly almond-like flavor.

However, when Prohibition came along, the liqueur needed to be removed from the jarred cherries to be sold in the US and was replaced with chemical preservatives.

These preserved the cherries but also changed the look and taste of the fruit. To counter that, food manufacturers created a sugary syrup with almond extract and red dye.

They called this marasca liqueur cherry knock-off a maraschino cherry, which has been a hit in the United States. Today, most are made from Royal Anne cherries.