Latest News: THE GARDEN OF EDEN?

THE GARDEN OF EDEN?

Would you Adam and Eve it? Scientists reckon that the very first apple tree, the proud great great great great great great…..grandfather of Jazz came from Kazakhstan!

The mountainous Central Asian republic which borders China and Russia is unique in that it is home to forests of wild apples. These naturally occurring orchards are bursting with hundreds of variations of the wild Malus sieversii apple which is believed to be the common ancestor of the 7500 or so apple cultivars that exist today.

According to Dr Barrie Juniper author of ‘The Story of the Apple’ we can thank bears for the spread of the sweet eating varieties we know and love. These discerning animals would pick the tastiest fruits and deposit the seeds ‘in the woods’ when they moved territory. Later, the migration of humans and their horses helped spread apples throughout Asia and Europe.

Kazakhstan is apple mad, the name of its largest city ‘Almaty’ translates as ‘full of apples’. Unfairly ridiculed by Borat, we should be praising Kazakhs for giving us the world’s best loved fruit!