Blame photoshopped memes and mysterious Japanese snack ads. A few years ago, a photo of a perfect blue cherry with a “Tokyo” label went viral. Spoiler: it was fake. Someone probably just colored a regular cherry in Photoshop and let the internet do its thing.
But here’s the kicker: there is a fruit called a “blue cherry” that exists. It’s just not a cherry. It’s a Brazilian pitanga, or Surinam cherry, that turns a deep blackish-purple in the sun. Under the right light, it looks blue. Mother Nature is a master of illusions, isn’t she?
What about those blue cherry-flavored things?
You’ve probably eaten a blue cherry candy or sipped a blue cherry soda. Those are real in the sense that they exist in a bag or a can. But that blue color? It’s artificial dye (and a whole lot of sugar). The flavor? Usually just cherry syrup with a splash of raspberry. It’s like a fruit cocktail party where the guests don’t match.
Honestly, if you bite into a blue cherry, you’re probably eating a maraschino cherry that fell into a bottle of blue food coloring. Don’t worry—it’s still technically a cherry. It’s just living a lie.
Closeup Of Dark Blue Cherries With Water Droplet Background, Cherries
