It weighs as much as an apricot, a clementine, a plum and just under a kiwi or a peach. It has been certified following the regulation of Guinness World Records through the official Italian measurers of INRiM, the National Metrological Research Institute: with its 33,0518 grams, a cherry produced in the Pecetto company in the province of Turin owned by the Rosso family present in the markets of Campagna Amica he is world champion.
The giant cherry belongs to the Carmen variety, medium-early ripening with a medium-high vigor plant and upright posture, which this year guaranteed important harvests of truly exceptional dimensions. The record was achieved in a not particularly favorable year for one of the most loved fruits by Italians, young and old. Bad weather has decimated Italian fruit with the loss of one out of four Made in Italy cherries and a total national production of around 80 million kilos, 25% less.
Despite this Italy - reads a Coldiretti note - is the main producer in the European Union with almost 30 cultivated hectares 62% located in Puglia, followed by Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Lazio. Thanks to their sweet and intense taste, cherries are very successful with both adults and children but they also have beneficial properties for the body, first of all anti-aging since they contain a lot of flavonoids (polyphenols), antioxidant substances that counteract free radicals, slow down the cellular aging process. The flavonoids present, especially the anthocyanins, make them an excellent pain-relieving remedy, with an effect similar to that of aspirin, but without the side effects of this.
Cherries are one of the fruits with fewer calories - adds Coldiretti - ecThey contain vitamin A, vitamin C and B vitamins. They are also a source to be reckoned with mineral salts, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium and sulphur. They also have important trace elements, with particular reference to copper, zinc, manganese and cobalt. Finally, cherries contain melatonin, a hormone that promotes sleep in conditions as physiological as possible. Studies undertaken within the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio attest that the consumption of these fruits - concludes Coldiretti - in fact helps to actively combat insomnia.
