The cherry season has just started, but not all cherries are the same - and what we call a "picota" is something special. Picotas are a cherry variety from the Jerte Valley in Spain, with a protected designation of origin (D.O.P.), and they differ from ordinary cherries in four key ways.

First: no stem. At ripeness, the stem naturally separates from the fruit, leaving a small self-healing scar that protects the fruit from moisture. Second: colour - picotas are darker, ordinary cherries are a lighter red. Third: texture - picotas are firmer, with a crunchier inner layer. And fourth: taste - picotas are more intense and sweeter, while ordinary cherries carry more acidity.

For cooking, both work brilliantly - but for eating at the height of summer, picotas are in their element. Spanish chefs recommend six recipes for the season: ricotta and chocolate tartlets with cherry filling, cherry gazpacho (a great cold soup for a summer dinner), clafoutis (the French cherry-in-batter tart with no base), cheesecake with picotas, cherries wrapped in white chocolate, and a sixth variation with ricotta mousse.

For the Balkan context: Macedonian cherries from Prilep and Veles at this time of year run at 100-150 denars a kilo, and for most of these recipes can replace picotas with no problem. The main shopping tip: look at the stem. If it is fresh green - the fruit is fresh. If it is dry and brown - they have been sitting. That is the test with no margin of error.