Vişne Suyu

Sour cherries — vişne, the morello-type fruit distinct from sweet cherries — have grown around Anatolia and the Caucasus since antiquity, and Turkey is one of the world's major producers. Their sharp acidity makes them far better suited to juice, jam and syrup than to eating raw, and vişne in all these forms runs deep through Turkish food culture. The juice, pressed and lightly sweetened to tame the tartness, became a staple cold drink, bottled commercially and made at home alike. Its pairing with kebabs and other grilled meats is a fixture of the Turkish table, the fruit's acidity playing the same fat-cutting role that ayran and şalgam do.

Deep ruby-red and clear, intensely fruity with a bracing sourness reined in by just enough sugar to keep it drinkable rather than puckering. The flavor is unmistakably cherry but sharp and savory-leaning, nothing like sweet cherry soda. Served very cold it is thirst-quenching and clean on the palate, and its acidity slices straight through the fat of grilled lamb and kebabs.

Sour cherries owe their sharpness to a high content of malic and other fruit acids, far above that of sweet cherries, which is what gives the juice its bracing edge and its fat-cutting power at the table. Gently cooking the pitted fruit with sugar and water draws out the juice, color and acidity, and the sugar is balanced against the acid rather than added to make it sweet. The deep red comes from anthocyanin pigments in the skins. Straining yields a clear juice; serving it cold keeps the acidity crisp and refreshing.