| Flat peach | |
|---|---|
 Saturn peaches | |
| Variety | Prunus persica var. platycarpa |
| Origin | China |
The flat peach, (Prunus persica var. platycarpa, formerly also called var. compressa) also known as the doughnut /donut peach or Saturn peach, is a variety of peach with pale yellow fruit that is oblate in shape. [1]
Flat peaches are flatter than fruit of more popular peach varieties. Their skin is yellow and red, and they are less fuzzy than many other peaches. The inside of the flat peach is white in appearance.
They are harvested in late spring through the end of summer. [2]
Flat peaches are usually sweeter than other peaches, but still have a recognizable peach taste. They are said to be more complex-tasting and flavorful, often described as possessing undertones of almond. [3]
They are known by many other names, including doughnut peach or donut peach, [4] paraguayo peach, [5] pan tao peach, saucer peach, flat peach, belly-up peach, UFO peach, Chinese flat peach, [5] hat peach, anjeer peach (meaning "fig peach"), custard peach, wild peach, white peach, pumpkin peach, squashed peach, bagel peach, or pita peach.
Despite commonly being called paraguayos in trade, there were no peaches of any variety in Paraguay before the early-mid 15th century, and today's flat peach probably originated in China – supposedly in the 19th century, [5] but this is merely the first time they came to widespread notice in Western countries. In China, it was known before then as pántáo (Chinese :蟠桃; lit.'coiled peach'), and made a significant appearance in the 16th-century novel Journey to the West , in which the Jade Emperor tasks Wukong to take charge of the Pan Tao Yuan ("Coiled Peaches Garden"). Later on, Wukong eats most of the rarer species of fruit in the garden and gains eternal life.
It was introduced to the United States from China in 1869 [6] . [4] However, peaches with such a fruit shape have been noted even before the Modern Era: In al-Bīrūnī's Kitāb aṣ-ṣaidana fi 'ṭ-ṭibb, a particular variety of peach is described as being shaped as if squashed by a kafīt (a spatula for preparing barbecued dishes like kufta) from both ends, and containing a hazelnut-sized kernel with brittle shell – in other words, differing from a normal peach in exactly the same obvious details as does the flat peach of today. [7] Al-Bīrūnī's work describes notable crops and medicinal plants focusing on the region between Mesopotamia and today's Pakistan, and considering how easily ripe peaches spoil in transport, this variety must have been local produce (while the kernel might still be recognizably different in a dried flat peach, the shape as described by al-Bīrūnī would not). Though al-Bīrūnī does not discuss a wide range of Chinese pharmacopoeia in his book, the central section of the Silk Road ran immediately to the north of the region where al-Bīrūnī's flat peaches were grown, and if todays' flat peaches are not produced by convergent evolution, flat-peach seeds or young trees must have been traded [8] between the Mideast and China for the fruit's novelty value more than a millennium ago already. In this case, though the direction of this trade is not readily determinable, they would be a heirloom variety more than 1000 years old.
Pears are fruits produced and consumed around the world, growing on a tree and harvested in late summer into mid-autumn. The pear tree and shrub are a species of genus Pyrus, in the family Rosaceae, bearing the pomaceous fruit of the same name. Several species of pears are valued for their edible fruit and juices, while others are cultivated as trees.
The peach is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others, nectarines.
An apricot is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus Prunus.
A doughnut or donut is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty vendors. Doughnut is the traditional spelling, while donut is the simplified version; the terms are used interchangeably.
Prunus cerasus is a species of Prunus in the subgenus Cerasus (cherries), native to much of Europe, North Africa and West Asia. It is closely related to the sweet cherry, but has a fruit that is more acidic. Its sour pulp is edible.
Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England, particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire, parts of South Wales and France, especially Normandy and Anjou, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The word melon derives from Latin melopepo, which is the latinization of the Greek μηλοπέπων (mēlopepōn), meaning "melon", itself a compound of μῆλον (mēlon), "apple", treefruit " and πέπων (pepōn), amongst others "a kind of gourd or melon". Many different cultivars have been produced, particularly of cantaloupes.
The quince is the sole member of the genus Cydonia in the Malinae subtribe of the Rosaceae family. It is a deciduous tree that bears hard, aromatic bright golden-yellow pome fruit, similar in appearance to a pear. Ripe quince fruits are hard, tart, and astringent. They are eaten raw or processed into marmalade, jam, paste or alcoholic beverages.
Prunus armeniaca is the most commonly cultivated apricot species. The native range is somewhat uncertain due to its extensive prehistoric cultivation. Genetic studies indicate Central Asia is the center of origin. It is extensively cultivated in many countries and has escaped into the wild in many places.
The loquat is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange fruit and for its leaves, which are used to make herbal tea. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant.
Galette is a term used in French cuisine to designate various types of flat round or freeform crusty cakes, or, in the case of a Breton galette, a pancake made with buckwheat flour usually with a savoury filling. Of the cake type of galette, one notable variety is the galette des Rois eaten on the day of Epiphany. In French Canada the term galette is usually applied to pastries best described as large cookies.
Santalum acuminatum, the desert quandong, is a hemiparasitic plant in the sandalwood family, Santalaceae, which is widely dispersed throughout the central deserts and southern areas of Australia. The species, especially its edible fruit, is also commonly referred to as quandong or native peach. The use of the fruit as an exotic flavouring, one of the best known bush tucker, has led to the attempted domestication of the species.
The Beurré Bosc or Bosc is a cultivar of the European pear, originally from France or Belgium. Also known as the Kaiser, it is grown in Europe, Australia, British Columbia and Ontario, Canada, and the northwestern U.S. states of California, Washington, and Oregon.
The mandarinquat, also misleadingly called orangequat, is any cross between a mandarin and a kumquat. Mandarinquats are members of the citrofortunella group.
Picarones are a Peruvian dessert that originated in Lima during the viceroyalty. It is somewhat similar to buñuelos, a type of doughnut brought to the colonies by Spanish conquistadors. Its principal ingredients are squash and sweet potato. It is served in a doughnut form and covered with syrup, made from chancaca. It is traditional to serve picarones when people prepare anticuchos, another traditional Peruvian dish.
Pickled fruit refers to fruit that has been pickled. Pickling is the process of food preservation by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. Many types of fruit are pickled. Some examples include peaches, apples, crabapples, pears, plums, grapes, currants, tomatoes and olives. Vinegar may also be prepared from fruit, such as apple cider vinegar.
Cider syrup is also known as apple molasses. It is a fruit syrup concentrated from apple cider, first made in colonial America. It is a thick, dark brown, opaque syrup with concentrated apple flavor. The color is darker than honey and its flavor more tart than maple syrup. A syrup-like product has a much longer shelf-life than the fresh fruit, thereby extending the apple harvest's contribution to diets throughout the year.
Mochi donuts, also known as poi mochi, are a fusion pastry crossing traditional American-style doughnuts and Japanese mochi. The mochi donuts' "hybrid batter makes for a doughnut that is fluffy and moist, with a satisfying chew". An early iteration can be traced back to Hawaii in the early 1990s. Mochi donuts were popularized by Mister Donut's "Pon de Ring" in the early 2000s. Mochi donuts are commonly formed into a circular shape, consisting of eight small balls that are easy to pull apart. They are made out of glutinous rice flour or tapioca flour.
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