Yes, apple pie. And try this delectable fruit in everything from appetizers to salads and sandwiches.
By CHERAMIE SONNIER, Associated Press
Published April 28, 2004
BATON ROUGE, La. - The "all-American apple" had quite a history on its way to becoming our favorite fruit.
First off: What Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden probably wasn't an apple, many archaeologists suspect. Maybe a pomegranate, or an apricot, but not an apple.
What we know today as the sweet red, green or golden fruit with a firm flesh and thin skin is believed to have originated in the wilds of Kazakhstan. It was hybridized with related species and eventually produced apple types throughout Europe and Asia, Michael Pollan writes in The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-eye View of the World.
However, the apple tree wasn't truly domesticated, Pollan says, until the Chinese invented grafting, the inserting of a shoot or bud of one plant onto another plant, at least 3,000 years ago.
Its extreme genetic variability helped the tree prosper throughout the world, but until grafting, people were unable to cultivate the best specimens.
The Romans took some apple varieties with them to England, and the Pilgrims and Virginia settlers introduced apples to the New World, historians say.
According to American folklore, John Chapman, or "Johnny Appleseed," a gentle, eccentric man who went barefoot and wore a saucepan for a hat, helped proliferate the fruit by planting apple seeds across America's new territories in the period of about 1797-1845.
However, Pollan contends that Johnny Appleseed's true story has been altered, probably intentionally. Chapman preferred to stay ahead of settlers moving west, planting nurseries from seed and waiting. When the settlers arrived, he had trees ready to sell them. Eventually, he operated nurseries from western Pennsylvania to Indiana.
Pollan notes that anyone wanting an edible apple plants grafted trees. Chapman's "seedling" trees would have been good for little but hard cider, and that was how most apples grown in America were used until Prohibition, he says.
And, the reason the eccentric, peaceful Chapman was welcomed everywhere he went was because "Johnny Appleseed was bringing the gift of alcohol to the frontier."
It wasn't until the early 20th century that the apple was identified with health and wholesomeness, the result of Prohibition and a public relations campaign by the apple industry, Pollan writes.
Apples may not keep the doctor away, but food experts say apples are a good source of water-soluble dietary fiber and the flavonoid quercetin, which acts as an antioxidant and may prevent some cancers and protect the arteries and heart, according to The New Food Lover's Companion, Third Edition by Sharon Tyler Herbst.
A medium-sized apple with skin, about 5 ounces, contains about 81 calories, 8 milligrams of vitamin C, 159 milligrams of potassium, and 21 grams of carbohydrate. They also contain vitamin A, only 1 gram of fat (no saturated fat) and no cholesterol or sodium.
Today, China and the United States are the world's leading apple producers, with China accounting for nearly half of the world's output, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Washington, New York, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania and Virginia account for most of the apples grown in the U.S.
There are at least 7,000 apple varieties in the United States, according to The Dictionary of American Food and Drink by John F. Mariani. However, he adds, most apples sold at market come from no more than 50 varieties. In Baton Rouge, probably no more than 10 varieties of apples are available to consumers.
Some apples are better for snacking or in salads, and others for cooking. All-purpose apples, good for both eating raw or cooking, include Braeburn, Cortland, Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Jonathan, McIntosh, Pink Lady and Winesap.
At this time of year, most consumers probably aren't as interested in eating apples out of hand as they are in warm, comfort foods made with apples. What could be more welcoming on a gloomy day than a hearty apple pie or apple crisp hot out of the oven?
Here are some recipes for America's favorite apple desserts for you to try.
Tips on buying, storing apples
The versatile apple makes a wonderful, slightly fragrant snack eaten raw, but also works well in cooked dishes.
Apples are good in appetizers, salads, sandwiches, main dishes, desserts, candy, relishes, and because of their high pectin content, are good in jam- and jellymaking.
When buying apples of any color, look for bright-colored fruit. Buy firm apples with a fresh fragrance. The skin should be tight and smooth. Avoid apples with bruises, blemishes or punctures.
The Kitchen Answer Book by Hank Rubin points out that a slightly greasy surface means an apple is old; soft apples may have been frozen. If an apple smells fermented, it is too old, and no aroma means it is immature.
Store your purchase in a cool, dry place. Or put apples in the refrigerator crisper or in a plastic bag on a refrigerator shelf. They will store for about a month, and it is best if they don't touch each other. Don't freeze.
To keep cut apples from turning brown, brush or toss them with lemon, orange or pineapple juice. Try submerging them in a mixture of 1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1/2 cup vinegar per cup of water.
When cooking apples, sugar added at the beginning of the cooking time helps hold the apple's shape, according to The New Food Lover's Tiptionary by Sharon Tyler Herbst. When baking an apple, make a few slits in its skin to prevent wrinkling.
