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Pictured are: Red and Golden Delicious Braeburn |
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Apple
Scientific Name: Malus
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Pictured are: Red and Golden Delicious Braeburn |
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The cultivation of the Apple (any tree of the genus Malus) probably dates back to the beginning of the Stone Age, according to findings in Switzerland and Austria in the mid-nineteenth century. An interesting fact to be observed in these findings is that the apple discovered by the archeologists had been cut into two to four parts as if even at that time they were used as dried fruits or stored for the winter. In the time of Ramses III (twelfth century B.C.) the apple tree was cultivated along the fertile Nile Valley. In the sixth century B.C. Sappho in Greece, and a little later Hippocrates, and Theophrastus, wrote about a fruit which could be related to our apple. In the Roman world the species is mentioned by Cato, Varro, Pliny, and Palladius, who in the fourth century A.D. wrote of 37 varieties, a really considerable number for the period. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the apple tree was imported into North America, and a little later to South Africa and Australia. Its spread followed the routes of other fruit trees, thanks to the widespread colonization of those times. There are thousands of varieties of apples today, and they are generally classified on the basis of their time of maturation (summer, autumn, winter) and their color, size, flavor, and so forth. The many varieties can be divided into two groups: those to be eaten fresh, and those to be used for cooking. The apple is one of the most prized table fruits, but it can be used in many other ways. It is made into jelly, preserves, apple butter, and compotes. The juice is made into cider and can be distilled to produce Calvados or apple jack. Pure apple juice is very popular today. In medicine its disinfectant and therapeutic qualities are highly valued. The apple must be considered a true and proper food, containing carbohydrates, vitamins, salts, and water. The carbohydrates, about 10%, are present in the form of glucose and fructose, that is, in the simplest forms, which are easily assimilated by our bodies. The vitamins contained in the apple are vitamin C, which is considered an antiscorbutic and has a general nutritive function and a specific action on the mucous membranes of the digestive system, and several of the B vitamins. The mineral salts found in apples are calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. A ripe apple contains a considerable amount of water, about 85%, which makes this fruit a favorite thirst-quencher, both for immediate thirst that could be relieved by water, and also for that at a cellular level. The apple's reputation as a healthful fruit is well deserved: apples are highly digestible because they contain pectin, which helps the normal digestive processes after a meal. But for people suffering from acidity it is advisable to cook them, preferably by baking to retain all the flavor. The syrup obtained from apples is used to relieve chest colds and whooping cough; it is said to reduce fevers, soothe irritation, and benefit the kidneys, bladder, and liver. Apples are good for children suffering from some kinds of gastro-intestinal disturbances: because of their natural antitoxic, acidifying action they can modify the intestinal environment by reactivating the bacteria that grow there. The old saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," has a lot of truth in it. Apples also have astringent action due to their tannic acid content. Gastronomically, the apple is a most versatile fruit: excellent raw, it is really delicious baked, stewed, in fritters, in pies, and strudels, and especially flambéed with kirsch or other spirits after being cooked. The numerous varieties can be divided into four categories: cooking apples, eating apples, cider apples, and drying apples. The principal categories are the first two, but it is difficult to make a sharp distinction between them because some table apples are also very good for cooking. The table varieties are in turn divided according to the time of maturation. Summer apples: Some of the varieties for sale in the summer are as follows: Red Astrachan is probably the earliest variety, appearing during the first half of July. It is not very large and has yellowish green skin with red spots or streaks; the pulp is sweet, slightly acid, aromatic and firm. Summer Rambour which ripens between August and September is large with smooth, light green skin spotted with red, and has good juicy pulp. Yellow Transparent and Duchess are also good early varieties. Fall apples: The English Cellini is of medium size with a thin, yellow skin with greenish spots and streaks; its pulp is sweet-tart and mealy and it cooks well. The Autumnal Gray Rennet is also of English origin; the fruits are rather large, elongate, and angular, with wrinkled dark skin spotted with gray, and with very juicy pulp. Like the previous variety, it is very good when cooked. For winter storage, these cultivars are highly regarded: Stayman (Stamared), Rome Beauty (Cox Red Rome, Gallia Beauty), Baldwin and Wealthy. Winter apples: Annurca mostly grown in Campania, Italy, has a slightly flattened crisp, tasty pulp. Yellow Beauty of American origin has yellow skin speckled with gray and with red shades on the side that has been exposed to the sun; the pulp is juicy, tender, sweet, and aromatic. There are many other excellent apple cultivars for eating raw, and for cooking: There are many other excellent apple cultivars for eating raw, and for cooking: Delicious (also Red Delicious, Starking and Richard, Starkcrimson), Cortland, York Imperial, Jonathan, McIntosh, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Grimes Golden and Yellow Newtown. [Bianchini, Francesco, Corbetta, Francesco, Pistoia, Marilena, The Complete Book of Fruits and Vegetables, United States Translation: Crown Publishers, New York, 1976; Originally published in Italy as I Frutti della Terra, Arnoldo Mondadori Publisher, Italy, 1973]