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Apple of our eye
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There are many myths about the rosy apple, despite which, it remains the apple of our eyes
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THE KOCHI markets are flooded with eye catching red apples, some from far away countries.
Eaten by Adam and Eve, the apple was one of the first fruits to be relished. Earlier, known as sour crab or crab apples the ancient Romans and Greeks believed them to be a symbol of fertility. The scientific name of apple is "malus sylvestris".
Convenient to carry as a snack and ideal in making puddings, custards, jams and jellies, it is one of the most popular fruits. But nutrition wise it cannot be compared with papaya, banana, guava, mango etc as it is, relatively an expensive fruit.
Many wrongly believe, the apple as the most nutritious of fruits, giving rise to the saying that, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away." The apple contains no Vitamin A and Niacin. 100 gm of apple has only 1mg of Vitamin C where as the Indian gooseberry have 600 mgs. The belief that it contains a lot of iron because of its colour is erroneous. It contains only 0.66 mgs of iron per 100 gm, which is less compared to other fruits like dates, dry apricots, watermelon, peaches, custard apple, pineapple etc. Apple is rich in pectin, which is a hemicellulose and has the capacity of absorbing water. Pectin is a constituent of the cell wall and forms gel on heating with sugars in jam making. The fruit also contains appreciable amount of tannins. Small amounts of mineral nutrients like calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and phosphorus are present in it. They are relatively low in calories but have a high water content of 84.6 per cent. It is a fair source of fibre.
The apple has a sweet and sour taste. It has many therapeutic properties like uncooked apples are given to treat constipation, while the stewed fruit can be taken for diarrhoea and gastroenteritis. As it is easily digestible, so it can be used in an infant's diet. It is very useful in decreasing the acidity in the stomach. When apple pieces are exposed to airthey turn brown and the little Vitamin C, which it contains, is destroyed. Browning can be avoided if pieces are soaked in salt, sugar or lime juice. Slicing and drying in the sun can preserve apple but this destroys the small amounts of vitamin it has. Other than eating apple raw, jam and jellies can be made and it can also be used in juice and milk shakes. The fermented juice is used to make cider vinegar and brandy. In India murraba is made from apples. It is popularly believed that apple murraba acts as a stimulant for the heart and relieves mental strain. The slight acid content in apples has an antiseptic influence on the germs present in the mouth and teethHence, it naturally maintains oral hygiene.
MUMTAZ KHALID ISMAIL
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