One of the world’s favorite fruits, cherries have a history that predates any written records. Scientists have found fossilized cherry pits in caves across most of Europe and Asia. Romans had a deep love affair with cherries, and it is their legions that we can thank for spreading their cultivation across much of the modern world. Our question, though, is, do cherries have quercetin?
Quick Answer: Yes – Cherries do contain quercetin. Compared to other similar foods, their quercetin content is pretty high.
Quercetin Content of Cherries
The strength of quercetin in cherries is 2.29mg/100g. Cherries are also notable for being high in phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals but low in calories and fats.
Are Cherries High in Quercetin?
Compared to other foods, Cherries are fairly high in quercetin.
Let’s take a look at how they compare to 5 similar foods.
- Raw currants offer 5.45mg of quercetin which is 2.4 times what we find in cherries.
- You will need to eat 240 grams of dates to get the same quercetin that 100 grams of cherries provide.
- Figs far exceed cherries in quercetin content, offering 5.47mg/100g vs. 2.29mg/100g for cherries.
- With only 1.04 mg/100g, Red grapes contain less than half the quercetin provided by cherries.
- Apricots contain 1.63mg/100g of quercetin, far less than the 2.29mg offered by cherries.
Sources:
Mental Floss “13 Sweet Facts About Cherries”: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/82858/13-sweet-facts-about-cherries
Health Line “7 Impressive Health Benefits of Cherries”: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/cherries-benefits
USDA Database for the Flavonoid Content of Selected Foods: https://www.ars.usda.gov/arsuserfiles/80400525/data/flav/flav_r03.pdf
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
