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Edible
Apple: A Global History
Gravenstein. Coe’s Golden Drop. Mendocino Cox. The names sound like something from the imagination of Tolkien or perhaps the ingredients in a dubious magical potion rather than what they are—varieties of apples. But as befits their enchanting names, apples have transfixed and beguiled humans for thousands of years.
A Global History explores the cultural and culinary importance of a fruit born in the mountains of Kazakhstan that has since traversed the globe to become a favorite almost everywhere. From the Garden of Eden and Homer’s Odyssey to Johnny Appleseed, William Tell, and even Apple Computer, Erika Janik shows how apples have become a universal source of sustenance, health, and symbolism from ancient times to the present day.
Featuring many mouthwatering illustrations, this exploration of the planet’s most popular fruit includes a guide to selecting the best apples, in addition to apple recipes from around the world, including what is believed to be the first recorded apple recipe from Roman gourmand Marcus Apicius. And Janik doesn’t let us forget that apples are not just good eating; their juice also makes for good drinking—as the history of cider in North America and Europe attests.
Janik grew up surrounded by apple iconography in Washington, the “apple state,” so there is no better author to tell this fascinating story. Readers will eat up this surprising and entertaining tale of a fruit intricately linked to human history.
A Global History explores the cultural and culinary importance of a fruit born in the mountains of Kazakhstan that has since traversed the globe to become a favorite almost everywhere. From the Garden of Eden and Homer’s Odyssey to Johnny Appleseed, William Tell, and even Apple Computer, Erika Janik shows how apples have become a universal source of sustenance, health, and symbolism from ancient times to the present day.
Featuring many mouthwatering illustrations, this exploration of the planet’s most popular fruit includes a guide to selecting the best apples, in addition to apple recipes from around the world, including what is believed to be the first recorded apple recipe from Roman gourmand Marcus Apicius. And Janik doesn’t let us forget that apples are not just good eating; their juice also makes for good drinking—as the history of cider in North America and Europe attests.
Janik grew up surrounded by apple iconography in Washington, the “apple state,” so there is no better author to tell this fascinating story. Readers will eat up this surprising and entertaining tale of a fruit intricately linked to human history.
132 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2011
6 people are currently reading
367 people want to read
About the author
Erika Janik
9 books33 followersErika Janik is a freelance writer and a radio producer at Wisconsin Public Radio. She is the author of Apple: A Global History, Madison: A History of a Model City, A Short History of Wisconsin, and Odd Wisconsin: Amusing, Perplexing and Unlikely Stories from Wisconsin’s Past.
Interested in nearly everything, Erika writes on local food and drink, Wisconsin history, medical history, and green living, among other things. Her work has appeared on Smithsonian.com, Mental Floss, Midwest Living, Isthmus, the Wisconsin Magazine of History, the Wisconsin State Journal, The Onion, MyMidwest, Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, and in the book Renewing the Countryside: Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin Press, 2007). Her essays have also been featured on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life.”
Originally from Redmond, Washington, Erika now knows more about Wisconsin history than she ever thought possible. She has a BA in history from Linfield College (2002), an MA in American history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2004), and an MA in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2006).
Interested in nearly everything, Erika writes on local food and drink, Wisconsin history, medical history, and green living, among other things. Her work has appeared on Smithsonian.com, Mental Floss, Midwest Living, Isthmus, the Wisconsin Magazine of History, the Wisconsin State Journal, The Onion, MyMidwest, Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine, and in the book Renewing the Countryside: Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin Press, 2007). Her essays have also been featured on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Life.”
Originally from Redmond, Washington, Erika now knows more about Wisconsin history than she ever thought possible. She has a BA in history from Linfield College (2002), an MA in American history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2004), and an MA in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2006).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 6, 2022
Apples are, after bananas, the most consumed fruit in the world. They are made into desserts, added to savoury dishes, drunk in the form of juice and cider and similar beverages. They are celebrated in idiom and proverb (though, as Erika Janik points out, the “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” adage was coined only in 1904 by a JT Stinson, a Missouri fruit specialist). Art depicts them, one of the world’s best tech companies was named after them.
Apple: A Global History examines this very familiar fruit, and discusses the not-so-familiar aspects of it: how it evolved, how it spread across the world, and how people have, through the ages, regarded apples. There are interesting glimpses into apples in myth and legend, popular perceptions, and folk culture. Some major apple varieties are discussed, and there are recipes (including an unusual one, a traditional Mexican apple omelette, which I intend to try out one of these days). There are pictures depicting apples in art, sculpture, and more.
Though short, this is an interesting, entertaining book. It certainly made me look at apples with a little more respect than before.
Apple: A Global History examines this very familiar fruit, and discusses the not-so-familiar aspects of it: how it evolved, how it spread across the world, and how people have, through the ages, regarded apples. There are interesting glimpses into apples in myth and legend, popular perceptions, and folk culture. Some major apple varieties are discussed, and there are recipes (including an unusual one, a traditional Mexican apple omelette, which I intend to try out one of these days). There are pictures depicting apples in art, sculpture, and more.
Though short, this is an interesting, entertaining book. It certainly made me look at apples with a little more respect than before.
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March 3, 2025Very cute and fun (not sure whether these are the words I‘m supposed to use to describe a book as this one but I am using them) but I wish it were longer and more detailed.
March 9, 2012
Edible books try to cover nearly every aspect of a food in about 100 pages. Some are more successful than others. Janik tries, but there's simply too much information about apples to get anything like decent coverage in so few pages. But it's still a fairly interesting read, and especially suited for those who aren't going to be bothered by how briefly nearly every topic is covered.
October 3, 2022
This is a classic example of a good book in this series. Start from the origin, the spread to other regions, and weave in historical/mythical anecdotes. The only thing missing is how modern apples are produce but that will need an extra 50 pages. Entertaining with a clear flow of direction
January 22, 2024
Apples are fascinating. Lots of “did you knows” in this book that will make you appreciate apples, the part they have played in the history of the world, and the sheer number of variety (14,000 named varieties alone in the United States, at least according to this book). Strong writing make this little book about apples a delight to read.
June 17, 2025
3.5 ⭐
As someone who is always curious about the history of ingredients in food or a particular dish, this book was extremely interesting and added more random fun facts to my unlimited collection. Will be reading more books in the edible series!
As someone who is always curious about the history of ingredients in food or a particular dish, this book was extremely interesting and added more random fun facts to my unlimited collection. Will be reading more books in the edible series!
October 16, 2020
One of the best installments in the Edible series so far - clear, concise, informative, and wonderfully entertaining.
August 1, 2022
A must read for those who eat an apple every day.
October 15, 2025
A clear, concise summary of the apple, its history and place in culture, and its value as a food.
November 2, 2025
One of my bookclub reads. Learned a lot, didn't know my favorite Honeycrisp apple is from Minnesota! Interesting but a bit dry since it is a high level overview.
June 11, 2016
What's a hungry writer wannabie to do? Write on spec. This is the opposite of The New Book of Apples: The Definitive Guide to Over 2,000 Varieties. Some information. Some legend. And some recipes to fill up the space between the covers.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews