Jul 21 2009
The Fascinating Apple
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away” so they say, but according to studies of recent data, this popular saying may not be just the stuff of old wives’ tales. And if we look at the nutritious configuration of these round and colorful fruits, each apple provides the body fiber, carbohydrates and sugar for energy and enough vitamins and minerals to keep you going without getting tired. Besides they taste good raw or cooked.
Other popular sayings with apples in it
Adam’s Apple: blamed for being the fruit Eve chose to tempt Adam and to get them both expelled from Paradise.
The apple of my eyes: It’s usually what a proud parent would say of his/her offspring.
So many popular sayings associated with apples, the humble fruit green, red or golden always versatile and tasty. Good addition to salads and goes great with white meats like pork or poultry. An apple is the perfect snack for anytime and goes well with almost anything you’d care to combine it with.
What’s in an apple?
Potassium 170 mg, Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 8%, Iron 2%, Fiber (5 gr.) 20%, Sugar 16 gr., Carbohydrates 7%.
The best part is that apples contain no fat, no cholesterol, sodium or proteins. A medium apple gives you 80 calories packed with fiber and energy.
Apple trivia
Looking in Wikipedia, I found this information about apples:
this tree fruit species is the single most cultivated one in the world. Also that the proper name of the apple tree is Malus domestica of the Rosaceae family.
The apple blossoms in spring and the fruits mature in autumn.
The apple tree is indigenous from Central Asia, where its wild ancestor is still found today.
There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples resulting in a range of desired characteristics.
There’re at least 55 million tons of apples were grown worldwide in 2005, with a value of about $10 billion.
China produced about 35% of this total.
Most popular apple varieties produced worldwide
Delicious, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Rome Beauty, Jonathan, Winesap, York, Stayman, Yellow Newton, Cortland, Northern Spy.
The best ones for cooking are Arkansas Black, McIntosh, Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening, Stayman and Winesap for the winter. While in the summer is best to use Gravenstein, Yellow Transparent, Starr and Duchess.
The best for winter baking are Rome Beauty, Stayman and Arkansas Black. For summer is best to use Gravenstein, Yellow Transparent and Duchess.
Ask your local grocer if they carry any of these varieties; if no one has any idea what you’re talking about, just get what you have at hand. I was once told that Granny Smith apples are great for pies as well as the Golden Delicious because they are juicy, which is not always the case with the big red ones. And I’ve come to find out this is true since I mostly use green apples when these are part of the recipe.
TIP: To avoid that your beautifully peeled and diced apple turns brown, soak it in water with lemon juice and drain them well just before adding them to the recipe.
