The rowan or sorb is the small, fiercely tart orange-red fruit of the mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), a hardy rose-family tree of northern and upland Europe — a true miniature pome, apple-like inside, no bigger than a pea. Far too sour and bitter to enjoy raw, it is softened by frost or bletting and transformed into a clear amber jelly served classically with game and venison, and distilled into prized eaux-de-vie across the Alps and central Europe.