Burlat

After an entire winter and spring waiting for sweet cherries, the search for the very earliest varieties can feel a little like a quest for the Holy Grail. There are plenty of candidates – but Burlat has held its place among the first for a very long time.

Burlat is a French variety that has been grown in Norway for many decades. Over the past twenty years, however, it has become almost impossible to deliver it through the commercial packing system. The reason is quite simple: Burlat is a soft-fleshed cherry that isn't exactly famous for being firm.

Storage and long-distance transport are therefore not its greatest talents.

But what Burlat lacks in shelf life, it more than makes up for elsewhere. Among the very earliest varieties, we consider it one of the best for flavour. The cherries are impressively large and attractive for such an early variety, while the trees produce a reliable, moderate crop year after year.

And Burlat has one job that may be more important than all the others:

When the first baskets of Burlat are picked, the sweet cherry season has officially begun.

From that moment on, variety after variety follows for the next nine weeks.

- Excellent flavour
- Extremely early
- Attractive fruit with reliable, moderate yields
- Soft-fleshed – at its best when perfectly fresh