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I
T IS, AFTER ALL the pie that has woven its way
into American food culture and become a symbol
of home and tradition. Humble. Unpretentious.
It’s part of Americana: A slice of scarlet cherry pie,
served at a U-shaped counter in a small diner, a
dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream on
the side, with a cup of black coffee — all brought
to the table by a gum-chewing waitress named Flo. A little
nostalgic, a little bit timeless.
Pie, however, was not an American invention. It came to
America with the first English settlers. Early colonists’ pies
resembled nothing of the sweet, golden, flaky pastry we know
and love today. Their pies were made in long, narrow pans
that they unappetizingly called “coffins.” Early American pie
crusts were actually not eaten at all, but were rather designed
to hold the filling during baking. It was during the American
Revolution that the term pie crust became popular.
As the country expanded, pies became a means to use sea-sonal,
local ingredients and gave rise to sweet fruit pies, which
began to reflect regional differences.
Cherry trees came to the New World when French colonists
from Normandy first planted pits along the Saint Lawrence
River and the Great Lakes area. They became a common fea-ture
of gardens as French settlers established cities and towns
in the Midwest.
It wasn’t until the 1800s that modern-day cherry cultivation
took root. Presbyterian missionary Peter Dougherty moved to
northern Michigan to minister to the native population and
planted a cherry orchard in the Traverse City area. Local farm-ers
didn’t think the trees would survive the harsh climate, but
the area proved to be ideal for growing sour cherries, which
require exposure to cold temperatures to germinate.
By the early 1900s, the cherry industry was firmly estab-lished
in the state with orchards in the Traverse
City area and all along Lake Michigan. The
fruit soon surpassed other major crops.
Today there are two main varieties of cher-ries:
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sweet and sour. Sweet, heart-shaped,
dark purple Bing cherries are mostly grown
on the West Coast and are best eaten straight
out of hand. Pink and yellow-blushed
Rainier cherries, grown in the Pacific
Northwest, are slightly less sweet but
still perfect for eating raw or used to
make Maraschino cherries.
It is, however, the tart, sour cherry,
also known as the pie cherry, that is
best for cooking. The high acidity makes them a little
too sour for most people to enjoy straight from the tree, but
they are perfect for pies. Because they are so perishable, it’s
extremely rare to find fresh ones in supermarkets or farmers
markets, but you can find them frozen or preserved.
This holiday, whether in celebration of love or country, seek
out some cherries and bake up a slice of nostalgia.