By |13 Sep 2023 at 11:10 PM
International Eat An Apple Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Peaches

International Eat An Apple Day, celebrated annually on the third Saturday of September, is on September 16 and encourages us to indulge in this crisp, vibrant fruit. The objective here is to consume one every day. According to the proverb, this will keep the doctor away.

The background of International Eat An Apple Day

The apple originated in the Tien Shan mountain range of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan in central Asia. In human terms, we would refer to this apple species as the great-great-great-great (repeat many times) progenitor of the current apple. This older wild apple was prominent in the cuisine and culture of the region from which it originated, and Kazakhstan’s Alma-Ata — now Almaty — roughly translates to ‘Father of Apples.’

Merchants utilising the Silk Road — a network of trade routes connecting China and the Far East with the Middle East and Europe — uncovered these wild apples and were responsible for the spread of this fruit to western Europe. From there, colonists brought the apple to North America. According to legend, the first apple trees in the Massachusetts Bay Colony were planted by pilgrims. Over time, these untamed apples were cultivated and cross-pollinated to become the commercially grown varieties we see today.

Apples have been prevalent throughout history, appearing in the works of Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, Caravaggio, and Magritte, among others. Additionally, apples have appeared in folklore and legends. The Arabian Nights feature an apple that cures all human maladies, and the Bible, arguably the most famous book ever written, also makes reference to the apple. Although the testament only mentions fruit, the notion that this was the apple emerged in western Europe in the 12th century. The idea may have originated from the fact that’malus’ in Latin means both ‘apple’ and ‘evil.’ This notion acquired traction, and by 1504, Albrecht Durer had painted Adam and Eve with apples surrounding them. Apples held special significance in both Greek and Norse mythology. The Norse deity Iunn granted eternal youth through apples, and in the Iliad, a golden apple caused the Trojan War.

In the 20th century, industrial agriculture in the United States concentrated on only a few apple varieties, such as the Red Delicious, Granny Smith, and McIntosh. This demand for new varieties and diversity was driven by new consumers in the twenty-first century.

Saviours of the Apple Feast Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Russia

5 AMUSING FACTS ABOUT PEACHES

The maintenance of his apple trees was one of his favourite pastimes.

They range in size from as small as a cherry to as large as a grapefruit.

It would take a considerable amount of time to consume all 7,500 varieties of apples that are grown in the globe.

In a 50-acre orchard located in Geneva, New York, the Plant Genetics Resources Unit of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approximately 2,500 unique apple tree varieties.

In addition to pears, plums, apricots, cherries, strawberries, and raspberries, this group is known taxonomically as the Rosaceae family.

INTERNATIONAL EAT AN APPLE DAY DATES

YearDateDay
2022September 17Saturday
2023September 16Saturday
2024September 21Saturday
2025September 20Saturday
2026September 19Saturday