Greek Gastronomy
Comfort Me with Apples
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By Diana Farr Louis / Photography: Vassilis Stenos The apple has been around so long, is such a common, if beloved, fruit that we tend to take it for granted. And while we cannot pretend that the shiny red globe originated in Greece, Homer can take credit for its first mention in literature – the “brilliant apples” growing in King Alcinoos’s orchard, along with pears, pomegranates, figs and olives. How comforting the sight must have been for poor, bedraggled Odysseus washed up on the shores of Scheria aka Corfu. The other 8th century BC poet, Hesiod, in his Works and Days, states that in addition to cultivating apples, the Greeks had discovered grafting, making them the first to practice the technique. Grafting remains the only sure way to propagate a desired variety, since an apple seed does not stay true to the tree that bore it. Like the cherry, it possesses the tendency to revert to a wild state, and in fact, every apple seed is potentially a new unique cultivar. This intractability accounts for the extraordinary diversity in the apple family: there are at least 7,000-8,000 named varieties, though only about a hundred are cultivated widely and a comparative handful of these reach our supermarkets. Although the apple came to Europe from the Caucasus, gradually brought by the earliest tribes who left their cores behind as they pushed westward, most of those eaten in Greece today are American varieties. The six ancient varieties mentioned by Theophrastus cannot be identified. Strangely, too, for a fruit that has such a venerable past, its modern commercial presence in this country dates no further back than the early 20th century. The Red Delicious so characteristic of Pelion, let’s say, was imported from California by a returning immigrant in 1937.  “Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.” So pleads the speaker in the Song of Solomon (part 2, line 5). The industry as a whole did not take off until peace was restored after the turbulent 1940s. Once planted, however, the orchards became an integral part of the landscape. It is impossible to envisage what some regions – especially the hill districts of Macedonia and Thessaly – would look like without them. The climate is right, far too cool for the otherwise ubiquitous olive, and perfectly suited to the kinds of apples that thrive on the West Coast of America, where conditions are similar to northern Greece. After decades of profitable harvests, however, the Greek apple industry suffered some serious setbacks recently and is only just beginning to recover. Around 2000, production plummeted as apples stopped growing beyond a certain size, a condition known as pygmy fruit. Before that, Greece had exported apples to Italy, Portugal and Holland. The disease, compounded by bad weather, orchard abandonment by older farmers and restructuring to new varieties, brought an end to those markets. By 2006, production had risen to 267,000 metric tons, which was still lower than its potential of 300,000 to 320,000 MT. The following year, with its disastrous droughts, fires and hailstorms, saw a drop of 16 percent, to 225,000 MT. Official figures are not yet available for 2008, but it seems to have a been a good one in terms of both quality and quantity. Exports generally run to about 30 percent of the harvest, with Israel, the Balkans and Russia taking the lion’s share. In 2006, some 38,000 MT were exported at a value of $16.4 million, down from 47,000 MT in 2005. A closer look at statistics reveals that Greeks overwhelmingly prefer red apples, which make up 70 percent of the total grown, most of them Starking Delicious. Golden Delicious (no relation – they were patented by the same nursery) comes a distant second with 13 percent, followed by Granny Smith (10 percent) and about a dozen others (7 percent). Almost half (47 percent) of the orchards are located in Macedonia (the districts of Kastoria, Pella and Imathia), 24 percent in Thessaly (the prefectures of Volos and Larissa, i.e. the mountain districts of Pelion and Kissavos), 11 percent Arkadia in the central Peloponnese and 18 percent scattered about the country. Of these, only about 200 ha were devoted to organic crops, but the number is growing. In 2000 the European Commission established two classification systems that recognize the excellence and provenance of traditional foods. The PGI, Protected Geographical Indication label, is easier to obtain than the coveted PDO, Protected Designation of Origin. To earn the latter, the product must have been grown, processed and prepared by traditional means and methods in a specific region, whose name the product bears, and whose soil and climate are responsible for its quality and character. A PGI label requires that only one of the stages be linked to a particular region. So far, 27 Greek fruit and vegetable products have been awarded PGI and PDO labels and applications have been filed for others. Three of them are apples.  The apples of Kastoria The western Macedonian region of Kastoria produces between 20,000 and 25,000 MT of apples, but only the 4,500-5,000 MT handled by GEOK, the Agricultural Fruit and Vegetable Company of Kastoria, are entitled to the PGI label. They include not one but several varieties– Starking, Starkrimson, Red Chief, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Jonagold – which are grown at altitudes of 630 to 850 meters above sea level. Apples need cool weather but also appreciate sunlight and the big swings in temperature from day to night there encourage the development of exceptional taste and aroma, crisp but juicy flesh, and intense color (important for the reds). GEOK apples are handpicked from late September to late October and taken immediately to their plant at Fotini, the most modern in the Balkans, for sorting, storage, standardization and packing. Stored in 16 nitrogen-cooled warehouses, they will keep until May/June. .jpg) 8th century BC poet, Hesiod, in his Works and Days, states that the Greeks had discovered grafting, making them the first to practice the technique. The apples of Pelion The wooded hills around Zagora have nothing to do with the tourists that flock to the Aegean beaches of Agios Ioannis, Mylopotamos and Damouharis at their foot. This largest village on the Pelion peninsula is dedicated to apples. Ninety-five percent of its population of 2,500 inhabitants work in the industry, its cooperative numbers 750 growers. In a good year their 200,000 trees yield 15,000 MT of apples. Even the women are involved. The Women’s Cooperative of Zagora, with 50 active members, makes spoon sweets, jams and apple pies that are sold in four outlets in Attica, as well as locally. Ninety percent of Zagora’s apples are gleaming red Starking Delicious, but they bear the name Zagorin, their trademark, along with PDO certification. Meanwhile, the equally green hills of southwest Pelion overlooking Volos and the Pagasitic Gulf are famous for another very different apple. The fyriki is small, no more than a third the size of a big Zagorin, pale green with streaks of pink and red, crisp, white flesh and a delicate, sweet flavor. It is also the only variety on the market today that is unequivocally Greek in origin. Just 20 growers in the area around Vyzitza, Milies and Pinakotes grow fyrikia, and the harvest amounts to about 40 MT, not even enough to satisfy domestic demand. Moreover, the tree fruits every other year and must be topped regularly to keep it from getting unmanageably tall. Nevertheless, the fyriki is a tremendously popular apple and lends itself to cooking. And here again, women’s cooperatives play a role. Their spoon sweets, apple juice molasses, and other concoctions have expanded demand for the fruit. An application for PDO status is pending. Similar fyrikia are cultivated in Thessaly, around Agia, but those grown in Macedonia are a different variety and reportedly not as tasty. The apple of Arkadia This is an apple that breaks all the rules. It grows on a plateau in the heart of the Peloponnese, not up north, it is tawny and freckled instead of red or glistening green, and their matte skin looks drab indeed when placed next to a shiny Starking. But it does sport a PDO label, it fetches a higher price than any other Greek apple, and for many Greeks is the only apple worth eating. They love its complex sweet and sour taste. It bears the curious name Pilafa Delicious Tripoleos, more commonly known simply as Tripoleos or from Tripoli, the capital of Arkadia. It is the oldest of the American imports. Legend has it that an immigrant named Pilafas returned to his homeland in the early 20th century with some cuttings that may have been related to the Golden Russets grown in upstate New York. Only 700 to 800 MT of these apples are produced every year, but efforts are under way to make them handsomer and larger – one hopes at no sacrifice to flavor. Organic apples One aspect of the industry to watch is the shift towards organic or at least more environmentally friendly cultivation practices. Up in Thessaly, in the hills above Agia, a major fruit-growing center, there are only two organic orchards at present, but more and more farmers are adopting less invasive methods. These include introducing new varieties like Fuji, Scarlet, Gala and Red Chief and reviving older ones, such as Reinettes, a French apple family. Diversity helps prevent the diseases to which apple trees are unfortunately so susceptible, as does leaving islets of unplowed, uncultivated earth between rows. Growers are also beginning to use manure over fertilizers and fewer hormones and pesticides. Organic trees ripen gradually and picking must take place three or four times during the harvest, which is less convenient than the whole tree in one go approach that prevails today. Veria, Elassona and Naoussa are among the areas with organic orchards. Conclusion Is there a fruit more reliably satisfying than a crisp, juicy apple? Peaches and cherries, apricots and kiwis come and go, but the apple’s season is the longest. The phrase in the title, “comfort me with apples,” comes from Song of Soloman (II, 5). The whole verse reads, “Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.” Although scholars maintain that the fruit actually referred to was the quince, it is hard to imagine deriving any consolation from that mouth-puckering, rock-hard, furry lookalike, which is inedible unless cooked with mountains of sugar. Let’s stay with the apple, a fruit that is constantly changing yet never going out of style. |
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