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Aquitaine
“In the heart of the Pays basque, the village of Itxassou is blanketed in pink and white in spring — three cherry varieties with lilting names cultivated on the verdant slopes since 1750.”
Fruit from Aquitaine.
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In the Nive valley, nestled deep in the inland Pays basque, the village of Itxassou has maintained a singular relationship with the cherry since the mid-18th century. The earliest documented traces of cherry growing date back to 1750, and it was during the 19th century that production intensified, with cherries circulating on regional markets in Bayonne, Dax, Pau and Bordeaux. At its peak, annual harvests reached between 160 and 300 tonnes — a considerable output for a village of a few hundred inhabitants, whose orchards covered all the surrounding slopes.
The agricultural modernisation of the 1970s dealt a severe blow to this tradition: ewe's milk, less demanding than manual picking, gradually supplanted cherries on farms, and the old cherry trees were abandoned — production plummeted to around 25 tonnes a year in the 1990s, ten times less than at its peak. It was to preserve this unique varietal heritage that farmers founded the Xapata association in 1994 — named after one of the local varieties —, with the mission of safeguarding the genetic and cultural heritage developed around the cherry over the centuries.
In late 2023, the association submitted an application for PDO recognition to the INAO, aiming to include 66 communes of Labourd and Basse-Navarre in the envisaged production area. The initiative, crowning decades of preservation and documentation work, is still under review.
The wealth of Itxassou lies in the diversity of its local varieties — eight in total recorded across the commune and its surroundings —, each with its own calendar and distinct personality.
The Peloa — dark purple to black in colour — is nevertheless the earliest of the three main varieties, harvested from mid-May: its red, highly juicy flesh makes it a sweet cherry, enjoyed just as much fresh as in jam when picked at full ripeness. The Xapata — which gave its name to the association — is picked from late May to early June, with a vermilion skin over a yellow background, surprising for a cherry from the Pays basque; both very sweet and slightly tangy, it is eaten mainly fresh. The Beltxa — the black one, recognisable by its dark wood and foliage — closes the season during the first fortnight of June; very low in sugar and tart, it is reserved exclusively for jam.
Five other traditional varieties complete this precious genetic heritage: Garroa and Bilarroa (red), Xuri (yellow with white flesh), Markista and Goixtiarra.
Cerises d'Itxassou are cultivated on the slopes of the Basque hills, in a mild, humid microclimate that is particularly favourable. Harvesting, necessarily done by hand owing to the terrain and the fragility of the fruit, takes place as the different varieties successively ripen, from late May to mid-June.
The cherries are sold fresh, but are also made into artisanal jam — notably the famous confiture de cerises noires d'Itxassou, prepared exclusively from the three local varieties Xapata, Beltxa and Peloa, which accompanies Ossau-Iraty ewe's milk cheese in an emblematic Basque pairing.
Appearance
Small round to oblong cherries; Peloa dark purple to black, Xapata vermilion on a yellow background, Beltxa intense black; modest size, thin and smooth skin
Aroma
Gentle, fruity fragrance, notes of fresh cherry, more understated than commercial cherries
Taste
Mildly sweet for Peloa, sweet and slightly tangy for Xapata, low in sugar and tart for Beltxa reserved for jam
Texture
Juicy flesh and coloured juice for Peloa and Beltxa, colourless juice for Xapata; small stone across all three varieties
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Cerise d'Itxassou is enjoyed fresh, quite simply, or processed — into jam, vinegar, syrup, or even a digestif. The pairing with Ossau-Iraty — a Basque PDO ewe's milk cheese — is an institution: black cherry jam, the traditional accompaniment to the cheese, reveals its most subtle flavours. The cherries are also used in several local pastries, starting with gâteau basque with Cerise d'Itxassou.
Cerise d'Itxassou does not yet benefit from an official label. An application for PDO (AOP) recognition was submitted to the INAO in late 2023 by the Xapata association — the procedure is still under review. This initiative crowns decades of work dedicated to preserving local varieties.
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