Where Did Apples Originate?
It’s hard to think of fruit without thinking of the humble apple, that bright red and tart treat enjoyed by many year-round. Imagining a world without these fruits is difficult, yet there once existed a time when apples were not spread throughout the world. In fact, the first apples only appeared in the Americas when colonists brought them over from England and cultivated them on American soil. Apples did not originate in Europe—rather, the answer to the question of where did apples originate from is that they originally came from the Asian continent, where the first sour, hard, and unappetizing apples were found.
Once upon a time, the wild apple (known also by its scientific name, malus pumila var mitris) was little more than hard seeds and a core with a shiny exterior. Some believe that the first apples were found in Kazakhstan, which is located within Southeast Asia.
This wild apple was perhaps the first fruit in the history of the world to be successfully cultivated. The undesirable traits of this early fruit were weeded out through selective breeding to produce a fruit that is sweet, has fewer and smaller seeds, and has a less prominent core. Today’s edible apple bears little resemblance to the apple of the past.
Historians are split as to who first cultivated the apple and so there is no consensus on where did apples originate. The Romans are among the most often cited, due to the fact that documentation proves the Romans cultivated the fruit in antiquity. It is certain that Romans at least took the primitive apple and cultivated it into an apple considered edible by a large portion of the population. Whereas before the apple was too sour and insubstantial to be considered an edible commodity, the fleshy white portion of the apple was now enjoyed by the population at large. This apple was very similar to the apples most people now eat.
Where are Apples Grown?
Today, many people throughout the world enjoy a variety of different types of apples. Apple cultivars were planted along the Nile delta as early as 1300 years before Christ. In the 7th century BC, apples were being grown in portions of Greece, although they were considered a delicacy due to their rarity.
Alexander the Great was one of the first individuals to introduce the apple to modern society, and the dwarf apple discovered in his trips to Asia were transplanted in Greece and beyond. Dozens of apple varieties were once described by Pliny the Elder.
When the modern era rolled around in about 1500, apples were known across the world. Sixty different types of apples were listed in the mid-1600s, and about 200 years later, this number increased tenfold. The arrival of Europeans to North and South America brought apples to what would eventually become Argentina and the United States of America.
In Boston, the first apple orchard was recorded as having been planted around 1625. Today, the apple is the leading species produced in the worldwide fruit industry. Apples have become an American icon, mentioned in the same breath as the sport of baseball, the spread of the automobile, and the popularity of fast-food chains. The apple is truly ingrained into modern culture.
Apples in America
Although apples originated as far away as Asia, the apple owes its popularity to America. Americans have, since the beginning of American history, produced huge amounts of apples and, as a result, apple-related products. For instance, thousands of gallons of apple cider were cited as having been produced in 1635, a mere decade after the first apple orchard in the United States is recorded as having been planted.
This cements the apple into the American consciousness as more than just an important fruit. It was an important building block in the culture of the nation. Johnny Appleseed, American missionary and horticulturalist, began planting apples across the nation in the decades following American independence from England. Because of his dedication to cultivating the apple wherever he went, apple orchards were planted as far west as Ohio.