Fun fact: There are published records of the phrase ‘an apple a day, keeps the doctor away’ dating back all the way to the mid-to-late 1800s! And why wouldn’t you want to eat an apple every day, when they are packed with fibre and nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin K and potassium.

Another fun fact: There’s an annual International Eat an Apple Day that falls on the third Saturday of September; as well as a National Apple Day in October, different from the ‘eating’ day in that it involves celebrations on apple orchards and encourages the planting of apple trees.

A fruit that is available all-year round but is a little more popular during the months where the Western side of the globe experiences autumn, apples are a versatile fruit, and can be used for many things including sweet and savoury dishes, or even often as decorations such as caramel apples during Halloween.

The apple is so iconic, it’s even often the first word we think of when learning the alphabet and how to read. And so in celebration of this legendary fruit, here are just a few of the infinite number of ways you can enjoy apples.

Cider

Move over grapes – cider as a fruit-sourced beverage is a direct competition to wine, while also often served as concurrent to beer, making it one of the most popular standalone (without needing to be incorporated into cocktails) alcoholic beverages. Made by pressing apples to extract juice that is then fermented, cider can be made with almost any kind of apple, but cider producers prefer a specific strain of fruit (different from edible or cookable “dessert” apples) that are grown specifically for the production of the drink.

Order cider on GemSpot from The Coaster or Da Long Yi Hotpot.

Dessert

Just like apple pies are to America, tarte tatin is to France, and apple strudels are to Austria, certain apple desserts have become so popular that they are embedded into general knowledge and global pop culture of food. A perfect match for any kind of buttery base or topping including shortcrust, puff pastry, and hand-rolled crumble, pair your apple dessert of choice with custard cream, whipped fresh cream, or go a la mode with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Order applestrudel on GemSpot from Stammtisch or Bavarian Bierhaus.

Salads

While we often associate vegetables to salad, apples are one of the few fruits that can crossover into savoury dishes and not be out of place. In fact, apples are one of the main ingredients in the now globally available Waldorf salad that originated from New York.

Whether the apples are the star or the complement, its easily palatable taste allows it to add an element of freshness to a dish, taste matching well to popular salad ingredients including leaves (spinach, lettuce), nuts (walnuts, pecans), and cheeses (feta, blue, and brie).

Apple salads on GemSpot:
Spicy green apple salad with salted fish from Dancing Fish, or
Watermelon and apple salad with parmesan cheese from Iberico Kitchen

To dip (and as a dip)

The tried and tested method of halving and quartering apples until you have perfect serving sizes is not just good for when eating an apple on its own, but also for producing perfectly shaped morsels for dipping. Whether cream cheese, peanut butter, or any other dip of choice, the flat surface of apple slices act like a spoon for lifting up dips and spreads.

And on the flipside, you can also make sweet dips out of apples themselves. Apple butter (which is really a chunky fruit puree) and apple caramel are examples of how apples can also be the spread you put on bread or crackers.

Get yourself some delicious artisan peanut butter for your apple slices from Cavemen Kitchn.

Feeling hungry? We’re giving you RM6 off with a minimum spend order of just RM30, and even FREE DELIVERY (for orders up to 25km delivery distance) with a minimum spend of RM80!