Mahaleb cherry (Prunus mahaleb) or St. Lucie cherry is a species of fruit tree cultivated for a spice in the cherry stones. The fruit itself isn't edible. The seeds inside the stones are fragrant, with a bitter almond taste.
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Native to central and southern Europe, Iran and parts of central Asia, it's naturalized in other parts of the world. A tree or large shrub, mahaleb cherry is deciduous, shedding leaves in a seasonal cycle. It's recorded as tall as 12 m (40 ft) but rarely grows that high.
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The hard heavy wood is among those used to make pipes, due to its density. It holds a good polish and is often made into ornamental items. The spice mahleb (mahlab), abundant in coumarin, is added to some pipe tobacco and liqueurs.
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In spring P. mahaleb displays abundant white flowers. Bees are the primary pollinators. The fruit is a small cherry-like drupe with thin flesh. Fruit is green at first, turning red then dark purple to black when mature. It ripens mid-late summer and tastes extremely bitter.
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In a type of self-cultivation, Prunus mahaleb practices selective fruit abortion, producing excess flowers to be pollinated. The plant then puts all its energy into the flowers with the most pollen, and "aborts" those who are deficient. This increases the overall seed yield.
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Prunus mahaleb grows in thickets and open woodland on dry slopes. It's found abundantly in central Europe at alpine heights and volcanic zones. It's naturalized in Sweden and the UK, and in scattered regions of Australia and the US.
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When the fruit is ripe, blackbirds and warblers come to dine. Although the inherent bitterness is meant to dissuade predators, these birds have no problem. As the fruit ripens they switch diet almost completely to the cherries, and leave deposits wherever they fly.
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The plant is cultivated for the mahleb spice (mahlab, coumarin) in the seeds. Aromatic, with a taste of bitter almonds, mahleb is used to sharpen sweet foods, such as Turkish, Greek and Armenian sweet-breads.
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The mahleb spice is made from seeds by grinding and powdering seed kernels, or as a component of cold-pressed oil extracted from the seeds. Bark, wood, and seeds all contain coumarin. Recipes calling for the fruit or seed of the "ḫalub" date back to ancient Sumer,
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Coumarin is thought to have anti-inflammatory and sedative effects. It may aid in widening the arteries or vasodilation, increasing blood flow to nutrient deprived parts of the body. It's first derived from tonka beans in 1820 CE.
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In Middle Eastern cultures, addition of mahlab to certain recipes symbolizes blessings and good fortune. Mahlab is often associated with special events, celebrations and festivals.
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Coumarin has been an integral part of the fougère (fern) genre of perfume since first used in Houbigant's Fougère Royale in 1882. Created by Master Perfumer Paul Parquet, Fougère Royale is instrumental in the development of modern perfumery.
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It's still sold today today, with the odd tweak from 1882. Prunus mahaleb is also valued as an ornamental shrub due to its strong fragrance and bountiful blooms.
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P. mahaleb may be the tree in the story of goddess Inanna and the Huluppu Tree. Different versions exist but they're similar. Inanna, deity of love, sexual love, fertility and war, rescues a tree from the Euphraties flood. She takes it home to plant in her garden.
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Inanna is an ancient goddess, first mentioned in the Uruk period c. 4000 BCE. The city of Uruk builds her a temple with all the luxuries, priests, servants and a beautiful garden, as the people desire her for a tutelary goddess.
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Inanna is greatly pleased, and moves in. This is where she plants her Huluppu Tree. She cares for it and watches it grow. For five years she waits, and then another five years.
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As a fertility goddess she uses her nurturing magic and the tree is strong. She wants to fashion a bed and throne from the fragrant mystical wood. The tree will soon be big enough.
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Then, terrible things begin to happen.
" ... a serpent who would not be charmed
Made its nest in the roots of the huluppu-tree.
And the dark maid Lilith built her home in the tree."
Her tree thus seized, Inanna weeps, but in vain for these demonic creatures refuse to leave. She asks her brother Shamash (Utu) the Sun for help, but he has other things to do. Finally Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, comes to her rescue.
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He slays the serpent who would not be charmed, drives away the young of the Anzu bird, and terrifies the dark maid Lilith, who may be an earlier manifestation of the female Mesopotamian demon of the same name, considered the first wife of first man Adam.
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Gilgamesh creates the bed and throne for Inanna from the Huluppu wood. Inanna reciprocates by giving him two unidentified objects she makes from the tree, a mikku and a pikku. They may be a drum and drumsticks or a ball and mallet. He promptly loses them.
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The myth of Inanna and the Huluppa Tree is meant to entertain. As well it explains the origin of the sacred bed and throne in rituals of the 12 Days of Zagmuk, involving a male ruler and a priestess of Inanna re-enacting the nuptials of Inanna and Dumuzi (Dumuzid).
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