It is thought that the origin of the cherry is in some areas of Europe. Countries such as the U.S.A. or Germany are important producers. More than 2,000,000 tons a year are produced all over the world.

The origin of such a delicious fruit is not clear, although it is thought that sweet cherries comes from the region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The acid cherry originated most probably around the Swiss Alps and the Adriatic Sea. Nevertheless, some texts have been texts in China from the Antiquity, where they describe a fruit similar to the cherry. Maybe the origin of the cherries must be located in this country, being the Romans or Greeks the ones who brought this culture to our lands.

The 10 main producing countries are: Iran, the U.S.A., Turkey, Italy, Germany, Spain, Lebanon, Rumania, France and the Russian Federation.

Production	Tons
Iran	229,079
The U.S.A.	203,600
Turkey	195,000
Italy	147,608
Germany	133,000
Spain	111,400
Lebanon	87,000
Rumania	76,000
France	71,400
Russian Federation	55,000

Source: FAO, ( http://www.fao.org )
Total production, acid and sweet cherries.

Exports	Tons	Dolars (1000 $)
The U.S.A.	36,016	148,529
Turkey	26,564	38,390
Spain	18,372	32,594
Italy	10,489	22,024
France	8,907	18,184
Greece	7,430	12,153
Syria	6,820	6,706
Chile	6,816	24,800
Austria	5,551	10,464
Czech Republic	5,305	3,344

Source: FAO, ( http://www.fao.org )
Total production, acid and sweet cherries.

As it is shown with the location of the maximum producers, cherries are produced both in warm and cold countries.

The world production of sweet and acid cherries in 1990 surpassed 2,000,000 of tons.

Not all the cherries that are produced in a given country will be consumed in the place of origin. Sometimes, a certain quantity is exported or imported. Some countries with great production need other varieties different from the ones they produce to process jam, stewed fruit, garnish...