Try apples as the main course - includes recipes

Better Nutrition (1989-90), March, 1990

Try Apples As The Main Course

Apples, the most widely cultivated of all fruit trees, are grown in the temperate zones of both hemispheres. More than any other kind of fruit trees, apples require a certain amount of dormancy and can be cultivated only in areas that have a winter season. Apples belong to the rose family (Rosaceae) of the genus Malus. Their blossoms resemble those of wild roses.

Although the exact origin of domesticated apples is not known, they probably originated somewhere in the region of the Caucasus and Asia Minor. Wild apples were no doubt gathered by stone age human groups for hundreds of thousands of years during their nomadic treks in search of wild game and plant foods. Carbonized remains of apples, dating from about 8,500 years ago, have been found at Catal Huyuk in Turkey. Remains of wild sour crab apples at the prehistoric Swiss lake dwellings indicated that they were an important part of the inhabitant's diet.

Apples have always been an important cultivated fruit. The apple is mentioned in the Bible, in the Hindu Code of Manu and in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Pharaoh Ramses II, the Great, and his successor, Ramses III, presented baskets of apples as offerings to the Theban priests. Apples were widely cultivated in ancient Mesopotamia. Hesiod, the 8th century B.C. Greek poet, refers to apples in his Theogony and Theophrastus, the 4th century Greek philosopher who succeeded Aristotle as head of the Peripatetics, lists two varieties in his writings on plants. Apples are mentioned in the earliest annals of Babylon and China. By the time of Pliny, the first century A.D. Roman naturalist, there were 36 varieties of apples cultivated in ancient Rome.

Although several species of wild crab apples are native to North America and highly prized by the Indians, the cultivated apple was introduced to North America by the first English and French colonists, and apple cultivation was spread rapidly throughout the country by the Indians and European settlers as they moved westward. John Chapman, popularly known as Johnny Appleseed, was instrumental in spreading apple cultivation to Ohio and Indiana. Fresh apples were enjoyed in season and many were sliced and sun dried for use throughout the winter months. A favorite with the early settlers was apple pie, usually made with a little honey.

Today there are around 7,500 varieties of apples cultivated around the world. Around 2,500 of these can be found in the United States, although only a few are grown commercially. Many of these varieties can be found at roadside fruit stands in rural farm regions during the summer and fall. The few varieties that are grown for commercial distribution have been selected because they keep and ship well. The major commercial varieties are Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, McIntosh, Cortland, Baldwin, Albermarle Pippin or Yellow Newtown, Duchess, Gravenstein, Grimes Golden, Jonathan, Northern Spy, Rhode Island Greening, Stayman, Transparent, Wealthy, Winesap, York Imperial and Ben Davis.

Apples are given their popular name usually after the place of origin, the person who discovered them or some special quality the fruit possesses. For example, the York Imperial started in York, Pa., around 1790; the McIntosh was discovered by John McIntosh in Ontario, Canada; and the Delicious sprang from a sucker that sprouted from a seedling in Peru, Iowa. Apple peels are quite nutritious and contain many vital minerals and vitamins as well as additional fiber and pectin. Apples for eating or cooking do not need to be peeled. They should, however, be washed thoroughly and the depressions in the two ends should be removed since these crevices can collect pesticides. Custom has dictated peeling apples for cooking unless they are baked, but when cooked for a pie or apple butter, one cannot easily detect the peelings.

Apples contain many of the nutrients that are absolutely necessary for keeping one's body healthy. For example, apples are a good source of potassium, vitamin A and phosphorus. Small amounts or traces of protein, vegetable fat, ash, calcium, vitamins B1, B2, C, and B3 are also present.

Apples contain only a trace of sodium and fat and can safely be eaten by people who are on a sodium-free or restricted diet. Apple pectin, which is found primarily in the peeling, provides some fiber, may help to keep arteries elastic and clear by preventing a buildup of cholesterol and fats, and by eliminating and neutralizing pollutants in the body. It also may help prevent diverticulosis as well as aid in controlling blood sugar in diabetics. Many medical studies have shown that a lack of fiber in the diet is a major cause of constipation which can lead to cancer of the colon, hemorrhoids and diverticulosis.

Dried apples make an excellent snack food and can be mixed with other natural health foods such as nuts, natural dried fruits and cereals. Pure apple juice makes a naturally sweet, healthy beverage. Natural sun dried apples, pure 100 percent apple juice, pure apple butter (no sugar added) and pectin are available in health food stores. Some stores sell organically grown apples and apple products.