From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
1. a generic and wildly variable name for any variety of dark reddish-purple to black cherries, can be sweet and juicy or sour and acidic. This term is often seen in the names of jams and sweets and is not intended to indicate which particular variety is used. 2. the fruit of the black cherry tree, Prunus serotina, quite acidic and bittersweet, a less-than-pleasant cherry for eating, sometimes used to make wines, jams or pies that are well sweetened.
