“Mutsu” planted in a vegetable garden in Yoichi, Hokkaido are dyed pink and are heavy with them.  Apples were brought in from China and have been found in aristocratic diaries since the Heian period, but they became widely known from the Muromachi and Warring States periods, and became popular with the common people during the Edo period. Until this time, apples were called “Japanese apples”, and the apples we eat now are “Western apples” brought from the United States at the end of the Edo period.  Since then, breeding has progressed, and there are 85 varieties of apples cultivated now.  Among them, “Fuji” has spread not only in Japan but all over the world, and more varieties have been created by breeding.  Apples are nutritious, and there is a saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

北海道余市の家庭菜園に植えた「陸奥」がピンク色に染まり鈴なりです。りんごは中国から持ち込まれ、平安時代頃から貴族の日記にも散見されますが、広く知られるようになったのは室町・戦国時代頃からで、江戸時代には庶民にも親しまれるようになりました。この頃までのりんごは「和りんご」と言う種類で、今我々が口にするりんごは江戸時代末期、アメリカから持ち込まれた「西洋りんご」です。その後品種改良が進み、今栽培されているりんごは85品種です。中でも「ふじ」は日本ではもちろん、世界に広まり、品種改良が加えられて、更に多くの品種が生まれています。りんごは栄養豊富で、「1日1個のリンゴは医者を遠ざける」(An apple a day keeps the doctor away.) という諺がある程です。