Apple Cider vs Pumpkin Spice

Well, it’s that time Midwest folks. Time to dust off the canning kettle, pull out the rakes, harvest the corn and beans, tune up the snowblower, winterize the RV or camper and of course go apple picking.

Here in the driftless region, cider presses are working overtime as all along the Hiawatha River valley. Fall celebrations are well underway. Adorned with corn shucks, mums, scarecrows and pumpkins, fruit stands are popping up everywhere as leafers from all around the tri-state area enjoy the last remnants of the season.

Purchasing everything from pies, muffins, cakes, wine, butters, jellies, jams and of course the ever-popular apple cider, mitten covered hands bask in the warmth and satisfying flavor of a delicious apple.

For me, the apple is the hallmarks of autumn. So, it begs the question, if it’s all about the apple, where the heck are all these pumpkin spice products coming from?

Apple Cider vs Pumpkin Spice

From coffee, lattes and teas to cereals, yogurts, donuts and Dairy Queen Blizzards, everyone seems to have a passion for pumpkin spice, especially in the fall. Nothing warms the heart or the palate like the aroma of pumpkin spice filling a household. It makes sense. Since the dawn of time, humanity has searched for ways to spice up their food.

Think about it, would you eat a slice of pumpkin pie if it wasn’t for the spice? I’m not knocking the taste deliciousness of a pumpkin pie or bar, but surely everyone knows an apple already has a stand-alone flavor and you can put all those savory ingredients in a good apple cider as well.

The Many Cultures And Their Own Blend Of Favored Spices

Every culture has its own special blend of favored spices. A blend of pumpkin spice typically consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice. What’s allspice you ask? According to google, it’s a blend of Jamaica pepper, myrtle pepper or pimento harvested from the unripe fruit of the pimento dioica an evergreen tree in the myrtle family. We can thank this delightful import to areas of the world such as the West Indies, southern Mexico and Central America. Asian cultures have their own magical blend of flavors called Five Spice. Five Spice typically consist of cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves, ginger or pepper. In areas round India and the middle east we think for delicious Chi combinations such as masala, cinnamon,
cardamon, gloves, ginger and black peppercorns.

Are you seeing a pattern? Can you guess what spice is the oldest? If you said, cinnamon, you would be correct. How long has it been around?

According to Chinese writings it dates back to 2800 B. C. Is it any wonder our favorite flavoring in a sweet or savory dish often includes cinnamon? The apple by contrast is much younger than cinnamon.

The Story Of The Apple

Approximately 750,000 years ago: early Paleolithic food gatherers in (modern) Kazakhstan, central Asia, discovered sour crab apples growing wild in the forest. Approximately 8,000 years ago: Neolithic farmers in (modern) Asia cultivated the wild apples. The ancestor of the domestic apple is the Malus sieversii, which grows wild in the Tian Shan mountains of Kazakhstan. I’m not sure who discovered cinnamon and apple were a perfect marriage, but I’m sure glad someone did.

The University of Minnesota is recognized as one of the top apple breeding and genetics research programs in the country. Since the program’s inception in the late 1800s, its goal was to develop cold, hardy apples that were both high in yield and quality to this region. Twenty-nine apple varieties have been released since the research began.

Some of the varieties are no longer common or commercially available but the Honey Crisp, released in 1991 is ranked as its most popular. Unless of course you’re talking about baking, then you better darn well say, Haralson. If I sound a bit zealous about apples, it’s likely for the fond memories they bring. Before we sold our home, we had five unknown wild apple trees growing at the back of our property.

Every fall we would harvest the spoils and have an apple fest of our own canning and baking apple pies. My mother-in-law was the best pie crust maker I’ve ever known and for the past forty years, every piece of apple pie I’ve eaten has been held to her standard.

So go ahead Starbucks, DQ, General Mills, Chobani, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts and the like, tantalize us with your pumpkin spice whatever. Me for my part, I’m reaching for an apple. And I bet Mony would be reaching for an apple, too!