Maraschino cherries

A maraschino cherry ( MARR-ə-SHEE-noh, -⁠SKEE-, Croatian: maraskino višnja) is a preserved, sweetened cherry, typically made from light-colored sweet cherries, such as the Royal Ann, Rainier, or Gold varieties. In their modern form, the cherries are first preserved in a brine solution usually containing sulfur dioxide and calcium chloride to bleach the fruit, then soaked in a suspension of food coloring (common red food dye is Allura Red AC), sugar syrup, and other components. The name and the original fruit is indigenous to Croatia (Croatian: višnja maraske), originally a luxury delicacy of the Dalmatian Coast, specifically Zadar, these cherries were dark, sour, and pitted before being steeped in a spirit distilled from the fruit’s own pits, skins, and leaves.