Bird cherry

What it is

European bird cherry is Prunus padus, a member of the rose family and a different species from sweet and sour cherries. The reddish-black fruit measures about 0.8 cm (⅓ in) across, with one large seed inside its stone. Tannins give the flesh its drying sensation. The stones are poisonous.

Where it comes from

Bird cherry is native to northern Europe and northern Asia. Its range reaches from Britain through Siberia to the Himalayas. In Ireland it is especially common in the northwest, notably County Donegal. Wet woods, hedgerows and the banks of streams and rivers are its familiar surroundings.

How it's eaten where it grows

Russian cheremukhovy tort is a bird-cherry cake made with brown bird-cherry flour and a sour-cream filling. One version has four sponge layers, with icing sugar sweetening the cream. Its batter mixes 100 g of bird-cherry flour with 200 g of wheat flour.

The fruit flour is first stirred into boiling milk and left to cool. After assembly, the cake rests in the refrigerator while its layers soak up the cream. The flour is brown, and so is the cake, with no chocolate in it.

How it's grown

Bird cherry grows on a tree that sheds its leaves in autumn. In Ireland, white flowers usually open in May and June, with up to forty along a hanging stalk 10 cm (4 in) long. Each flower has male and female parts; bees and flies carry the pollen. The tree grows in sun or partial shade, but fruits better in sunshine. The leaves turn red to yellow before they fall.

When and where you'll find it

In Ireland, the fresh fruit usually ripens in August. Bird cherry also travels as dried flour for baking, such as Siberian Green's 300 g bag made from wild-harvested fruit in Russia's Altai region. The flour keeps in a sealed container in a cool, dry place.