Cherries

The sweet cherry, kiraz, is usually enjoyed fresh, while the sour cherry, vişne, is cooked in casseroles, rice dishes and puddings, and is also made into jam and vişne suyu, a refreshing cherry drink. The sweet cherry is believed to stimulate the metabolism - ‘If the mulberry didn’t follow me, I would turn people into my stalk,’ the cherry claims in Turkish lore. Dried cherry stalks have diuretic properties and, when infused in hot water, act as a herbal remedy for high blood pressure. The pale kernels of the black cherry are ground into a fine flour, mahlep, which is used as a flavouring in breads, biscuits and cakes.