‘As the tree, so the fruit’, although the apple that fell from this tree is already beginning to decay. The fruit is eaten by birds or from the inside by insects and worms, with the final aim that the seeds are released and able to germinate, so new trees may sprout. Slowly the yellow-red glow disappears from its skin, it turns darker and darker, finally ending in black.
Apples (Malus) were gathered in the wild in Europe as early as 10,000 years B.C. and cultivated in the Near East around 4,000 BC. The genes of these ancient apple varieties are scattered along the Silk Road from China. Then the apple turns up in ancient Greece and subsequently the Romans spread them across Western Europe, resulting the fact that in the19th century many cities in Europe and in the Netherlands had their own apple varieties. These breeds were different in color, size and taste.