Not only is the apple one of the most consumed fruits in the world, but it has also become a companion to great figures in mythology, religion and children through the unforgettable stories that bring it to life. Popular, historical, healthy grounding, seductiveness in the hands of women through art, and the essence of metaphors about wisdom and beauty. Apples have millions of followers and thousands of varieties, all with one common purpose: protecting our health.
The apple tree is one of the most cultivated tree species in the world due to its easy adaptation to different soils and climates, tolerance to extremely low temperatures, nutritional value, and the quality and diversity of agro-industrial products. To sum up, according to statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), apples are the third most consumed fruit in the world, second only to bananas.
Thousands of varieties distributed around the world
It is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 20,000 apple varieties that can be grown, but at a reduced number on a commercial level, the most popular varieties are as follows: Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Starking, Grammy Smith, Gala, Fuji and Braeburn.
These different varieties are preferentially distributed in areas with cold temperate climates, as it is one of the fruit varieties that requires the longest period of cold (temperatures below 7°C) during dormancy or winter rest.
Apples have the property of being able to be stored for several months without losing their freshness, so to get the most benefit, producers can harvest them during the season and then store them for up to a year in facilities designed to avoid storage. . Overmaturation process.
The most important apple producing countries are China, the United States, Turkey, Poland and Italy. Also France and Iran, as well as Chile and Argentina in Latin America, mainly in the Central Valley (Chile) and the Alto Valley del Rio Negro (Argentina). In Ecuador, the fruit has adapted to the high altitudes due to the mild year-round climate.
The history and legend of Apple.
Most studies trace the history of apples to prehistoric times, even stating that cultivation can be traced back to the origins of all civilizations. The oldest apple remains correspond to the most recent period of the Stone Age, between 8,000 and 2,500 BC, and cultivated forms of apples appeared during the first periods of the Iron Age.
It is the edible fruit of the common apple tree “Malus Domestic”, whose wild ancestor is “Malus sieversii”, native to the mountainous regions of Central Asia in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Xinjiang (independent countries).
Originally a sour fruit, the apple was perfected by Greco-Roman culture and became a highly appreciated, widely available, and inexpensive fruit in the Middle Ages. It was introduced to Spain by the people of North Africa during the Romanization of the peninsula. In turn, European colonists brought them to the Americas, and the nineteenth century was a time of great effort to improve the apple tree, which is now one of the most popular fruits year-round.
The apple is probably one of the most famous fruits since ancient times, and the myths and legends surrounding it have only emphasized its importance in food and its healthy medicinal properties. However, one of the problems with identifying apples in religion, mythology, and folklore is that as early as the 17th century, the word “apple” was used as a generic term for all fruits except berries.
In Genesis, God told Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of good and evil, but they disobeyed God’s command, causing humans to be expelled from paradise. “Evil” is translated as “malum” and can mean “evil”, “apple” or simply fruit, the fruit from the tree being represented as an apple.
Throughout history, the apple has been a symbolic fruit. For example, in Greek mythology, the Greek hero Hercules, as part of his Twelve Labors, was required to travel to the Garden of the Hesperides and gather golden apples from the Tree of Life that grew in the center of the garden.
In addition, the golden apple given by Paris to the goddess Venus caused hatred between Hera, Aphrodite and Athena and went down in history as the famous “apple of discord”, triggering the Trojan War.
In ancient Greece, apples were considered sacred to Aphrodite, the goddess of beauty and love. Throwing an apple at someone is a symbolic expression of love; similarly, grabbing her is a sign of accepting that love. One of Plato’s aphorisms says: “I throw the apple to you, if you will love me, take it and share your childhood with me, but if your thoughts are what I prayed for, and they are not, then Take it away and consider how fleeting it is.” Beauty is. “
Symbol and function of health at any time.
Apples have religious and mythological significance in many cultures, including Norse, Greek, and European Christian traditions. In art it is used as a symbol of the New Eve, the Virgin Mary, who in many Romanesque images is shown holding an apple in her right hand.
One of these stories in which apples play an important role is the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White,” in which the evil queen, Snow White’s stepmother, poisons her own stepdaughter Snow White with a red poison apple. ..
Now, outside of fiction, Isaac Newton told his biographer, William Stukeley, that he used falling apples in an orchard as inspiration for formulating his law of gravity.
It was designed for the logo used by the rock band “The Beatles” for their record label and is an example of Apple’s allure. The logo of the computer company Apple is a bitten apple and its computer is called the Macintosh. is a variant of apple).
In English, a phrase that condenses the essence of apples is often used, “an apple a day gets the doctor away”, which translated into Spanish is: “an apple a day will free you from the doctor.”
In fact, these are just some of the many benefits apples bring to our health: Fights inflammation of the digestive system, intestines or urinary tract. Antacids for cases of heartburn. An astringent and mild laxative, especially the fiber in its skin makes it ideal for cases of diarrhea or gastroenteritis. Diuretic and purifying, promotes fluid elimination, ideal for obesity and rheumatic diseases.
It has anti-catarrhal effects in bronchitis or cough and is excellent in the treatment of bronchitis or cough due to its expectorant effect and it is also considered an anti-cholesterol drug. Hypotension, which lowers blood pressure in cases of hypertension. Sedative, helps sleep, and relieves fever; anti-cancer and anti-diabetic.
By Isabel Martinez Pita EFE
