New York State Foods

Apple STATUS Official  Apples YEAR DESIGNATED 1976 THE FOOD Apples are members of the rose family, so they’re related to peaches, raspberries, and strawberries. They grow on small, deciduous trees, and ripen in autumn. Apples have a smooth skin that may be red, yellow, green, or mottled when ripe. The fruit is usually firm, though some varieties tend to be harder and others are softer and can have a mealy texture. Though apples are often cooked in pies, cakes, and other baked goods or simmered into sauces for meats, the most common way to eat an apple is raw, unpeeled, and out of hand, leaving behind the central core. THE SIGNIFICANCE Apples probably originally came from central Asia, but they have been in New York since colonial days. Governor Peter Stuyvesant planted a Dutch apple tree in New York City in 1647, and by the 1700s, the state’s commercial orchards were well established and even exporting apples back to England. Today, New York produces about 25 million bushels of apples each year, the second most of any U.S. state. Its largest city, New York, is affectionately called "the Big Apple." Apple Muffin STATUS Official Muffins YEAR DESIGNATED 1987 THE FOOD A muffin is an individual serving of mildly sweet bread baked in a cup, so it has a flat bottom, straight sides, and a rounded top. Muffin batter is usually made from flour, sugar, eggs, melted butter or oil, and baking powder or baking soda. Apple muffins also include chopped, fresh apple. Walnuts, raisins, cinnamon, and other spices are optional additions. Muffins need to be baked at a relatively high temperature in order to get their characteristic domed shape. They are usually a breakfast food, though they’re also eaten as snacks. THE SIGNIFICANCE Muffins were probably developed in the mid-1800s, though it’s not clear exactly where or when. They have, however, been a common food in New York for decades. The apple muffin uses the state fruit, and in fact most of the ingredients can be had from local producers. New York public schoolchildren lobbied successfully for the adoption of this state symbol. -World Trade Press