Apples: History, Folklore, Horticulture, and Gastronomy

by Peter Wynne

Sm Quarto, Pp.280, Line Drawings, The History, Folklore, Horticulture, and Gastronomy Of Apples

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Rmslis · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I write this review, we are near the end of the month of September. Earlier in the month yet I started noticing grocery produce bins filled with varieties of apples, some available only around this time of year. Just as pumpkins are synonymous with the month of October, I thought so too does the apple have a month closely associated with it. From the abundance of apples and apple products now available, to images of polished red apples on school desks, heralding the start of another school year, apples are apparently commonly associated with this month: September. As the year entered the month of September I remembered that I had an unread book about apples. So at this most appropriate time of year with a plethora of apples everywhere, I dug out the book from my TBR book bin curious to see what I would discover about this popular and ubiquitous fruit.

The complete title of the book is “Apples. History, Folklore, Horticulture, and Gastronomy.” It’s not a very thick book - less than 300 pages - with half of the book recipes while the other half containing the rest of the text, including an index and bibliography. As the author traces the history of cultivating the apple through time, he informs the reader that the methods utilized in cultivating apples over 2000 years ago by the Romans still apply today. Included in the text are explanations, descriptions and instructions for growing, harvesting and storing apples. Examples of artwork done throughout the ages depicting the growing and harvesting of apples are included in the book. Popular apple varieties are discussed. And then there are the myths and legends that contain mention of an apple.

Quite a bit of information was packed in the narrative part of the book. While reading the book I was very surprised to realize how little I knew about apples, despite their being one of my favorite fruits even from very early childhood and the fact that during my entire life my property has always had at least one apple tree growing there. One drawback to the book were the illustrations, as all were all in black and white which made it impossible to distinguish the apple varieties discussed. Inclusion of some color plates would have done wonders with the identification of the various apples. The majority of the recipes dated from the 1800’s and earlier and there were a number of them that were even much, much older. The author admitted that some of the recipes were his interpretation of the older text. So for the most part, the recipes (or at least some of them) were provided merely as a historical curiosity. I came across only one or two that appealed to me and to which I might consider making sometime in the future. As for the myths and folklore section, it contained both familiar and new content. Although the author did indicate growing methods for apples changed little over the centuries, this book was published in the 1970’s. So for those interested in growing apples obtaining more current publications containing information about the recent cultivars accompanied by color illustrations would understandably be justified. Overall, the book packed quite a bit of interesting information about the apple, from a historical, horticultural and culinary perspective. It is a welcome addition to my personal library.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

For lovers of apples, mythology, folklore, antique recipes, oddments and food whimsy, including recipes, Swedenborg, a hypothetical apple goddess and stories. A book that sparkles with the author's joy in the task.