preserved in its own liqueur for winter eating.
In the modern industrial version, light-fleshed
varieties are bleached with sulfur dioxide and
stored in brine until needed, then infused with
sugar syrup, dyed cherry red, flavored with
almond extract, and pasteurized. After all that,
what’s left of the original cherry is mainly its
skeleton, the cell walls and skin.
Peach and Nectarine Peaches and nectarines
are both fruits of the species Prunus persica.
Nectarines are varieties with a smooth skin
that are usually also smaller, firmer, and more
aromatic than their fuzzy siblings. The words
“peach” and “persica” come from “Persia,” by
way of which the fruit reached the
Mediterranean world from China by about 300
BCE.
Modern peach and nectarine varieties fall
into a handful of categories. Their flesh may
be white or yellow, and either firm or melting,
strongly attached to the large central stone