APPLE (MALUS DOMESTICA)

Known in old Turkish as alma (Modern Turkish: elma) apples took their Turkish name from the Turkish word “al,” red. Apples are believed to be originally native to Northern Anatolia, the South Caucasus, Southwest Russia and Central Asia (East Kazakhstan). Some old sources say that the apple’s true homeland is Trabzon. Wherever it originated, the species have spread from Central Asia throughout the world, and cultivation throughout history has resulted in over 1,000 different varieties.

Reference:  Meyve Kitabı (Τhe Fruit Book, Emine Gürsoy Naskali, dilek Herkmen, eds.), Istanbul 2006; Lütfi Arif Kember, Ana Yurdu türkiye olan ürünlerin tarihi ve ekonomik bitkilerin biyojeografisi (Biogeography of the historical and economic plants serving as sources to products originating in Turkey), Istanbul: Tan Press, 1938.