9 Apple Varieties You Need to Know

By Food & Wine
Updated May 09, 2019
Photo © Clare Barboza
After the very first American apple, the Roxbury Russet, appeared outside Boston around 1630, there grew to be an estimated 7,098 varieties of the fruit available in United States. Over the years, however, many have gone out of fashion or been almost lost. In his new book, "Apples of Uncommon Character," writer Rowan Jacobsen rediscovers our country’s apple diversity: He personally tasted 500 varieties of the fruit to see what all of us have been missing (a lot, apparently). —Yaran Noti
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Hidden Rose

Photo © Clare Barboza

Pink-fleshed, it tastes like berries.

Apples of Uncommon Character: Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders

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Cox’s Orange Pippin

Photo © Clare Barboza
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Born in England in 1825 and generally considered the best-tasting apple ever, with citrus and pineapple notes.

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Chestnut Crabapple

Photo © Clare Barboza
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It’s small, incredibly crisp, caramel-y and sweet—like a graham cracker with a touch of lemon.

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Esopus Spitzenberg

Photo © Clare Barboza
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Very sweet and very tart, it carries a powerful one-two punch. It was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite.

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Golden Russet

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Classic example of a russet, with brown, sandpapery skin, it is very firm and has a nutty flavor.

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GoldRush

Photo © Clare Barboza
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Amazingly firm, with lots of acid, making it perfect for pie.

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Black Oxford

Photo © Clare Barboza
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It looks like a plum—small and purple—and has a unique, spiced-pear flavor. There is a Black Oxford tree in Hallowell, Maine, that is 215 years old.

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Calville Blanc

Photo © Clare Barboza
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Ribbed like a quince, it is very firm and very tart and considered the best tarte Tatin apple in Normandy.

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Pixie Crunch

Photo © Clare Barboza
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Like a pint-size Honeycrisp, it is half the size and twice as sweet.

Apples of Uncommon Character: Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders

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