Also Known As

Eating apple, Salad apple, table apple, seb, safarchand

Description

Dessert Apples are those which are meant to be eaten raw, without cooking. There are a wide variety of eating apples available. Some are named after its color, whereas some are named after the country producing it. They have a red, green or yellow skin and a sweet to tart tasting crisp white to cream colored flesh. They are round in shape with a depression from where they were attached to the tree. These are specially cultivated for eating raw.

How to Select

Select the fresh, hard, firm textured with prominent red skin, which may have small whitish spots spread over. Avoid the ones which appear wilted, or have brown spots or cuts and blemishes. There are chances that while distribution, apples may have been pressed against each other or the container, when in bulk. So discard the pressed or the spotted apples. Apple is a very common fruit, seen round the year, available in fruit markets as well as food stores. The most common ones available are Golden delicious, gala, premium, Adam's Pearman, etc.

Culinary Uses

Dessert Apples are recognized for its prominent sweet taste and aroma and it is a versatile fruit.
· Not like the cooking apples, dessert apples are used in salads or may be eaten raw, without adding any thing.
· These apples can be chopped and added in mix fruit juices to give a wholesome blend of mix fruit juice or fruit cocktail.
· They can be sliced thin and spread over apple pudding, or apple cake , as dressing, just to give a loud to the recipe.
· Apple chutney can be prepared with raisins and other spices as per choice
· They taste great when blended with low fat milk, sugar added and made into yummy Apple milkshake.
· Dessert apples can be cored and stuffed with various fillings or may be used as a topping to decorate any dish.

How to Store

Dessert Apples must be stored under refrigeration at relative humidity of 80-90%. They have the tendency to absorb odors, so mind the other food stuffs kept along with. Apples can be washed thoroughly and placed in perforated net bags, or zip lock bags and then refrigerated. They stay fresh for a week at least. If you want to store a cut apple, just mix in a little lime or orange juice to avoid browning reaction due to oxidation. Storage has little or no effect on photochemical, but processing apples greatly affect its photochemical nature.

Health Benefits

Dessert Apple is one of the most eaten and enjoyed fruits, which shows great health benefits. It is rightly said "An Apple a day keeps the doctor away".
· Apples are rich in photochemical and researches prove that daily consumption of apple helps fight chronic diseases.
· Apple peel consists of dietary fiber, mainly insoluble fiber, which helps in reducing weight.
· Due to presence of flavonoids, apple helps fight Cancer, especially Lung Cancer.
· People consuming good amounts of cooking apple have lower chances of thrombotic stroke attacks and decreased cerebro vascular disease. It also improves cardiovascular function.
· Due to the presence of the compound quercitin, a major component in Apple peels, it helps to lower the sugar levels and manage type 2 diabetes mellitus.
· Apple is said to decrease bronchial hypersensitivity and improve pulmonary function, thus helps to treat Asthma.
· It also helps in preventing age related problems like loss of memory. Thus one can be more alert.