KEY POINTS:
The apple is the symbol of temptation and Adam and Eve's downfall. They tasted the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. How times have changed - now an apple's only purpose in life is to be eaten.
The original apples in the
Garden of Eden would have been tiny, sour little things, a bit like crab apples, consisting mostly of core and very little flesh. Subsequent breeding and grafting has persuaded them, against their natural inclination, to produce a lot more flesh. When the apple thought its only purpose in life was to reproduce, it grew lots of tiny fruit, not a smaller number of large ones as it does today.
In New Zealand we love apples so much we invent new ones to keep ourselves happy - braeburn, royal gala and Pacific rose, for example. Pacific rose is now the most popular eating apple in New Zealand.
It is the epitome of the Sleeping Beauty story - rose-pink with a gorgeous round shape. This apple is the art piece of the apple world, created as much for its aesthetic appeal as its flavour and ability to keep its crunch.
The thing I most long for when travelling is a crisp, sweet New Zealand apple.
How many gloomy winters did I spend in Paris, longing for the light of a New Zealand summer, the frenzied taste of apple sugar, of acid, of eyes watering, of teeth sharp and shining.
They're good for you too. Scientific research into the cancer-beating qualities of apples has proved that old adage: an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
And it's also true that it is the skin that matters. The antioxidant in apple peel is strong enough to stop cancer cells growing and apparently the granny smith variety is one of the best.
In terms of cooking, apples have always been paired with fatty meats and fish, such as pork and herrings.
Fried pork chops with apples, calvados (apple brandy) and cream make a very comforting autumn dinner by the fire.
Although the apple-picking season has just ended, we can continue to eat them all winter, not only as themselves but in the form of apple-blossom water, apple butter, cider, and with syrups such as Gusto - divine drizzled over cheese fritters.
This New Zealand-made apple syrup comes in tart, sweet and organic and you can use it in the place of just about anything where you would use sugar, caramel, golden syrup, or maple syrup.
Drizzle it on fried black pudding, icecream, sorbet, yoghurt, blue cheese, porridge, French toast.
Glaze ham on the bone with it. Pour some over your fresh fruit and nuts in the morning with a squeeze of lime juice.
Bake it in your citrus/olive oil cakes instead of honey or sugar. Stick it into your Brazilian cocktails where sugar syrup is called for. Put some in a glass with sparkling water, a sprig of Vietnamese mint and a lemon wedge.
Give in to the temptation and eat an apple right now.
- Detours, HoS