Laura Dean Bennett
Staff Writer
Today, the apple is the most widely cultivated, has had and still has the most varieties and is most popular fruit. There are at least 7,000 different kinds of apples grown around the world.
Many pomologists say that the first apples came from Kazakhstan in Central Asia, east of the Caspian Sea. The capital of Kazakstan is Alma Ata, which means “full of apples.” They originated in Kazakhstan, in central Asia east of the Caspian Sea. Alma Ata, capital of Kazakhstan, until 1997, means “full of apples.”
Carbonized apples dating back to 6500 B.C. have been found in Anatolia.
The Greeks, Etruscans and Romans were known to cultivate many varieties of apples.
Evidence of apples has also been found in prehistoric settlements in Switzerland and the imprint of an apple seed appears on a fossil found in a Neolithic archeological site in Englandmand Egypt’s King Ramses II had apple trees planted in the Nile delta in the 13th Century.
Apples have been cultivated since the Seventh Century B.C. in Greece and Greek mythology is full of references to apples. They were on the table at wedding feasts in Athens.
Apples were so symbolic of love and marriage in ancient Greece that tossing an apple to a woman was tantamount to a proposal of marriage. And if she caught it, the hopeful bridegroom could assume his suit had been successful.
Although they were expensive, it was rare that there wouldn’t be at least a few apples on the table of a Greek wedding feast. Tradition held that the newlyweds must consume an apple before retiring to their bedchamber to ensure their health and fertility.
The Greek general Alex-ander the Great, lived in the 4th Century B.C., became king of Macedonia and established one of the largest empires in the ancient world. He was a great believer in the power of apples to convey health and longevity.
He took them with him wherever he went, even on long military campaigns. Legends said that many of Alexander’s priests lived as long as four hundred years because they consumed only apples.
Alexander was 32 when he died in 323 B.C.E. During his 13-year reign as the king of Macedonia, Alexander created one of the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to northwestern India. (356-323 BCE) Greek ruler, explorer and conqueror. (384-322 BCE) Greek scientist and philosopher.
The mythic Druid master Merlin, which Celtic myths say may have lived in the 5th or 6th Century A.D., lived, worked and “held court” in an old grove of apple trees. He believed that eating apples gave him wisdom, foresight and the power of prophecy.
The Celts were making cider during the reign of Julius Caesar and cider was always on the table in Medieval Normandy, in France.
In the Old Testament, in one of his psalms, King Solomon wrote: “Comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.”
By the late 15th century, the apple was a regular part of life in Spain, and Spanish ships were carrying apple seeds and trees along their trade routes back and forth between Europe and the Far East.
Since ancient times, the apple has had an important place in the culture of the Old World.
It’s no wonder that immigrants to the New World brought their knowledge of apple cultivation with them.