Author: VVmaster

Plums may be one of the first fruits domesticated in Europe. Remains of our modern European plum (Prunus domestica) from neolithic times (over 5000 years ago) are only found around human settlements. Subspecies of Prunus domestica include damsons and bullaces, prunes, Victoria plums, greengages, and mirabelle plums.

Cherry plums (Prunus cerasifera) are the ancestor of our modern plums, and they are still found growing wild in places. They are native to Southeast Europe and Western Asia.

Several different species of plums were domesticated in China in ancient times. North America has a dozen or so species of wild plum.

The common European pear (Pyrus communis) is one of over thirty species of Pyrus which originated in the Chinese section of the Tien Shan mountain range and spread outward from there. There is evidence that pears were picked from wild trees in Europe long before they were cultivated by the Greeks and Romans 2000 years ago. Several Roman authors described grafting pears to propagate the best varieties. The Chinese were grafting their own kinds of pears around 4000 years ago.

There are over 40 varieties of European pears cultivated, but just four of them account for 95% of production world wide.

All of our modern apple varieties (Malus domestica) come from a wild tree called Malus sieversii. Whole forests of these trees grew in the western foot hills of the Tien Shan mountains, around what is now Kazakhstan. These early apple trees were very diverse, but it seems that many of them had large sweet fruit which were especially attractive to bears who ate them and spread their seeds around. Some of these sweet apples were carried by people along the ancient Silk Road – a trade route linking China with the West from over 2000 years ago up until the 1450s.

The seeds of apples don’t breed true – but out of all the different trees that resulted from wild seedlings the Greeks and Romans learned how to clone the best by grafting them onto other rootstocks. The Romans brought some of their favourites to Britain.

Rhubarb (Rheum x hybridum(?)) was probably first grown in northern China and was used as medicine there at least 2000 years ago. It was traded into Europe about 500 years ago, but only used for medicine at first.

Maize (Zea mays) was domesticated in southern Mexico about 10 000 years ago. Domesticated maize is very different from its wild parent, and it seems to have been deliberately bred over many years to have desirable properties. It gradually spread into South America, then into North America, finally reaching the east coast of the US about 1000 years ago. After Columbus, maize spread into Europe and beyond. Now it produces the largest weight of any grain crop world-wide.

Leeks (Allium ampeloprasum) were probably cultivated in Egypt by 4000 years ago. Wild leeks grow around the Mediterranean region.

Onions & Shallots (Allium cepa) Onions seem to have been used first in Central Asia, and to have spread to China by at least 7000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians revered onions. Bits of onion were found in the eye sockets of the 3000 year old mummy of Rameses IV. The Romans carried onions around Europe two thousand years ago.

Garlic (Allium sativa) seems to have evolved from a wild relative somewhere around Mesopotamia at least 4000 years ago. It spread as far a China thousands of years ago. Today, China produces about 75% of the world’s garlic. It has been widely used as a flavouring in cooking, and as a form of folk medicine, and even as a form of magic to ward off vampires and such. Two main sorts of garlic are grown:

• Hardneck garlics(ophioscorodon varieties) are mainly grown in colder regions. They throw up a coiled flowering stem called a “scape” in the spring. Skins on the cloves are often red or purple, and the flavour can be quite fiery. Garlic scapes are a delicacy!
• Softneck garlics (sativa varieties) are mainly grown in warmer regions. The skins are often white, and the flavour more mellow. Both sorts grow well in Britain.