6 Juicy FACTS ABOUT APPLES!

Cultivated around the world for over 2,000 years, apples are the deliciously crunchy fruit of the apple tree.
From the moment they were first discovered they’ve been enjoyed by people every day in an amazingly large variety of forms.
What is it about apples though, that has led to their almost legendary status in the fruit bowl?
Let’s take a bite into some of the juiciest facts about apples.

#1.An apple a day keeps the doctor away.


We’ve all heard the age old English proverb, but did you know that there’s actually quite a bit of truth to it?
There are a large number of health benefits which can be obtained from apples.
The acids found in apples help fight against gout and indigestion. These acids also help the fruit become digested faster, as well as assisting in digesting any other food you may eat at the same time.
Another form of apple homeopathy is to eat a ripe sour apple just before going to bed to cure constipation.

#2.Apples are things of myths and legends.


Apples have been around for so long that many cultures in Europe have their own myths and legends involving them.
In the epic Greek poem the Iliad, a golden apple plays a key role in a series of events which eventually led to the downfall of Troy.
In Norse mythology the goddess of youth, Idun, gave golden apples to the gods to keep them youthful until the end of the world.

#3.If you plant the seeds from an apple, it will grow into a new variety.

 Apples have a genetic characteristic called heterozygosity, which means that any new tree grown from the seeds of an apple will grow into a new variety.
As a direct result of this there are now thousands of known varieties of apples today.
While this is great in terms of the species’ evolution and its ability to adapt and survive to new environments, it does make apple cultivation much more difficult.

#4.There are thousands of varieties of apples.


There are more than 7,500 known varieties of apples, and that’s just counting the ones we bother examining. These varieties fall into three general categories: cider, cooking, and dessert.
The apples are categorized mainly on aspects such as size, color, crispiness, aroma and taste, as well as bitterness.

#5.Apples originally came from Kazakhstan.


Most of you may know Kazakhstan thanks to the hit 2006 mockumentary Borat.
Something that Borat fails to mention, however, is that Kazakhstan is actually the original source of apples.
DNA analysis of modern varieties of apples has found that they originate from a wild variety known as Malus sieversii, which can still be found thriving in the mountains of Kazakhstan.

#6.Over 66 million tons of apples are produced every year.


Across the globe there are more than 66 million tons of apples produced annually.
The largest producer of apples by a vast majority is China, with a whopping 46 million tons.
The USA, on the other hand is actually the third largest producer.
Of the American apples produced, only half are consumed fresh. The rest of the crop is used for making juice, vinegar, jelly, and applesauce, among other things.

Tell us in comment box which fact was most surprising for you?