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Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

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Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#211

Post by dagw »

nicoburns wrote: post #164
spywaregorilla wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes this is the key. Most of Europe is in the same boat. Eating produce in Greece however is astoundingly better. Italy was less consistent on this but still better. Which leads me to wonder if its really the genetic choices or is it just something about the farming, nutritional rich soils, or transportation/timing?

France is good for tomatoes too. I think it's definitely partly about local availability. But probably also a bit to do with cultural consumer choices too. France/Italy/Greece all have big food cultures in a way that isn't quite matched by northern European countries. That said, it seems to be getting easier to get high quality vegetables (including tomatoes) here in the UK. It's not from a supermarket and you pay mo…

France has great tomatoes, but a random tomato you buy on sale at the huge supermarkets aren't any better than anywhere else (in my experience).

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#212

Post by AfterShave »

idlemind wrote: post #127
spywaregorilla wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes this is the key. Most of Europe is in the same boat. Eating produce in Greece however is astoundingly better. Italy was less consistent on this but still better. Which leads me to wonder if its really the genetic choices or is it just something about the farming, nutritional rich soils, or transportation/timing?

Sunshine is the other big variable. Most fruit will only get sweet during ripening if it's receiving enough sunlight. This is why red grapes are seldom grown in northern latitudes - their dark skin blocks sunlight and prevents them from sweetening during ripening.

Is it really about sunlight and not heat though? Otherwise one would expect to see more sweet fruit coming from northern europe than is the case. Given the near absence of "night."

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#213

Post by dagw »

happymellon wrote: post #131
dathinab wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's like trademark but instead of: "only this company can decide who can use the trademark" It's like: "only if it's production fulfills certain criteria can you use the name" It's made as a consumer protection so that people can not just claim their product is this kind of "traditional" product when it isn't. Except that it's less used like a consumer protection as it's mainly used like a trademark. Controlled by a…

It's a shame that Cheddar doesn't have good protection. Real cheddar is full of flavour, slightly sour. Great stuff. But you can go to places like the US and cheddar is not cheddar and they should not be allowed to call that cheddar.

Cheddar in most places outside the UK is "not cheddar". If I go to the supermarket here in Sweden and buy the first "cheddar" I see prominently displayed, I'm not getting cheddar from the UK.

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#214

Post by dagw »

philwelch wrote: post #117
phkahler wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> San Marzanos are origin-protected in Italy What does that mean? Protected under what laws?

You know how "champagne" is technically only champagne if the grapes are from the Champagne region of France, and otherwise it's just sparkling wine? That's a legal designation in the EU.

You know how "champagne" is technically only champagne if the grapes are from the Champagne region of France

Unless you live in Russia :)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57733684

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#215

Post by TroisM »

leotaku wrote: post #112
koolba wrote: post #2

> “It turns out that a lot of the genes that coded for the flavor-producing compounds were on the same chromosomes as the genes for the yellow striped skin,” Traverso explains, “so as you favored the more consistently colored apples, you were essentially disfavoring the same genes that coded for great flavor. This is also why so many cultivars of tomato and cucumber taste like moist cardboard. Once you taste what the…

Somehow I don't seem to have the same experience as most people in this thread. Sure, homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers taste quite a bit better than what I usually buy at the supermarket, but it certainly isn't perfect vs. inedible. Possible explanations I can think of: 1. My taste perception is just broken because I am relatively young and have been raised on low-quality produce. 2. My local supermarkets just happen…

Stores sell heirloom tomatoes too... sometime at twice the price though...

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#217

Post by gbuk2013 »

dagw wrote: post #214
philwelch wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know how "champagne" is technically only champagne if the grapes are from the Champagne region of France, and otherwise it's just sparkling wine? That's a legal designation in the EU.

You know how "champagne" is technically only champagne if the grapes are from the Champagne region of France Unless you live in Russia :) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57733684

> French producers are still allowed to use the word champagne on the front of bottles, but the use of "shampanskoye" is allowed only on local produce.

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#218

Post by Broken_Hippo »

flycaliguy wrote: post #188
kook_throwaway wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought I was the weirdo for thinking tomatoes on burgers didn't add any flavor. I love flavorful tomatoes everywhere else, generally, but the kind used on burgers are like mushy water.

They want the burgers to taste the same all over the place. A shame because here in south western Ontario we have amazing tomatoes. I eat at least one a day just sliced with a bit of salt.

I'm not convinced this is the case: Why would you choose lesser tomatoes for this?

I'm more inclined to think that modern "grocery store" tomatoes are generally tomatoes that ship well while still fresh. Anything else means that tomatoes on burgers would not only be seasonal, but regulated to the sorts of places tomatoes can be shipped well from the farms.

I'm not even sure how you eat a good one daily, honestly. I've always lived in places with winter, and the tomatoes tend to lose any worth (cherry tomatoes might save you though). I used to grow or buy decent ones during the summer, but moved further north and that went away.

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#219

Post by kieckerjan »

In a similar vein, I recently learned from Harold McGee's superb new book Nose Dive that modern flowers (the ones you are likely to buy from a flower shop) tend to smell less than their predecessors. This is because plants use the same metabolic pathways to make colors and smells, and if you optimize these pathways for colors, as we nowadays do, the smells suffer.

Re: Red delicious apples weren’t always horrible

#220

Post by liotier »

randerson wrote: post #192
titzer wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just move to Europe.

Or Africa. Each time I've visited I've remarked on how much more flavor things have.

Frequent travels to Africa have made me incapable of swallowing pineapple and mangoes in Europe - they can't compete against fruit picked ripe.
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