French cherries: a local love affair

… a cherry tree is never just a cherry tree …

May 28, 2025

France has over 100 varieties of cherries. Vaucluse and Rhône produce the most cherries in France. In French markets, you’ll find:

Burlat (an early, plump, sweet variety)

Bigarreau (a firm and juicy variety)

Montmorency (cherries used in clafoutis and kirsch).

The cherry tree photographs are from a property in Normandy where an aunt lives. It is an old hybrid tree, likely self-seeded and wildish, but every year it performs with loyalty. No fertilizers. No fuss. Just sun, rain, and a little patience.

I visited Normandy this week. The cherry tree reminded me of a 2017 song by Riccardo Tronca, from his A Couple of Cherries album called “Cherries:”

“Cherries shine red in the light of the sun
Tell me your secrets, I’ll give you my life …

Cherries are cherries and you are my love.”

His lyrics capture something that fruit trees often embody — longing and love. There’s sensuality in cherries, yes, but also nostalgia. A cherry tree is never just a cherry tree. It is childhood and youth, a kiss under its boughs, or a bowl of glistening fruit shared with someone who remembers when you were twelve.

For all of time, most people love cherries and their symbols. Cherries are ancient — cultivated for over 4,000 years — but their emotional appeal has more to do with feeling than farming. In Japan, cherry blossoms symbolize the fleeting beauty of life. In the West, cherries are associated with sweetness, desire, temptation, and youth.

But it's also a tree of generosity with short-lived fruit. People eat cherries in season, living and eating in the moment. Tronca’s lyrics echo that thought:

“This is a song for the lovers to come
Live in the moment but die not too young…”

Photographer: Martina Nicolls