# What kind of apples did I eat in Ireland? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [August 29, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544 "2022-08-29T18:11:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/1 "2022-08-29T18:11:52Z")
A hotel in Dublin where I was staying earlier this month packed picnic breakfasts for us: yogurt, a Danish, a banana, an apple. The apples had thick green skin, looked like small Granny Smiths but I don’t think they were Grannys since they tasted sweeter than I would expect. I don’t think they were Golden Delicious: too green, skin too thick. They probably weren’t Crispin / Mutsu since those tend to be big and these were on the smaller side, just 3 inches tall. So what kind of apples could I have eaten in Ireland? Of course it’s possible that they weren’t local apples, in which case the question would be, what kind of apples does Ireland import? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/2 "2022-08-29T18:17:18Z")
I don’t know whether someone in Dublin can tell you what apples are common there; but there are probably ten thousand or more varieties of apples in the world, so this is going to be a difficult question to answer with any certainty. You could try asking the hotel. They’d be the most likely to know. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/3 "2022-08-29T18:26:44Z")
These, perhaps? > **[Keelings Irish Bramley Apple 4 Pack - Tesco Groceries](https://www.tesco.ie/groceries/en-IE/products/265590551)** > > Keelings Irish Bramley Apple 4 Pack ETA: Probably not. They are harvested in October. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/4 "2022-08-29T18:28:08Z")
Bramley is an extremely popular cooking apple in England. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it show up in a lunchbox in Ireland. ---
**Author:** ![Oswald\_Bastable](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oswald_bastable/32/214_2.png) [@Oswald\_Bastable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oswald_Bastable)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/5 "2022-08-29T18:48:17Z")
I would! Bramleys are cooking apples not eating apples. Not the sort of thing you’d eat raw at all, too sour. Plus they’re big, easily 1.5-2 times the size of a standard eating apple. I’m not Irish but I imagine the standard varieties of eating apples there are much the same as the UK. Granny Smith and Golden (not)Delicious are the most common green skinned eaters. If this was neither of these I would think it likely a locally grown heritage variety, but couldn’t hazard which. OB ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/6 "2022-08-29T18:55:34Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Bramley is an extremely popular cooking apple in England. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it show up in a lunchbox in Ireland. I’ve never seen nor even heard of Bramley’s being used for anything other than cooking. To the OP, was it a shiny green or a dull, matt finish? ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/7 "2022-08-29T18:58:52Z")
Assuming Hotels in Dublin, Ireland get their snacking apples from the same place as anyone else, I looked for grocery stores with online ordering. Dunnes Stores has “Green Apples”, Granny Smith Apples, and Bramley cooking apples. We’ve already established that they were probably not Bramleys so my guess is a local-ish variety of Granny Smith or whatever those “Green Apples” are: > **[Dunnes Stores](https://www.dunnesstoresgrocery.com/sm/delivery/rsid/258/results?q=apples)** > > Dunnes Stores ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/8 "2022-08-29T20:08:50Z")
I find Golden Delicious are often more green than golden. So it could’ve been that. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/9 "2022-08-29T21:08:52Z")
Looking at the picture of Bramleys, the apples I had were taller and smoother looking, more symmetrical. They were smooth skinned and shiny. I like Golden Delicious and these were quite a bit greener than the green Golden Delicious I’ve had. Maybe a local variety of Granny Smith that’s smaller and a bit sweeter than the ones we get in the US? @Dorjan they looked like the “green apples” on the Dunne’s webpage, whatever variety they may be. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2022, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/10 "2022-08-29T23:44:00Z")
Did they look like any of these? > **[Fruit - Irish Heritage Apples](https://futureforests.ie/collections/irish-heritage-apples)** > > Many of these heritage Irish varieties were rescued from old gardens and orchards around the country. They include eaters, cookers, and dual purpose apples. Our trees are available on various rootstocks to suit small or larger gardens and we list the... – or try doing a google image search on apples of ireland identification ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/11 "2022-08-30T00:10:37Z")
If you received them this summer, wouldn’t they have to have been imported from the Southern Hemisphere? South Africa, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/12 "2022-08-30T00:52:09Z")
Some early varieties are ready in August. Some apples will also keep quite a long time in cold storage and might still be good in August. But you do have a point that apples get shipped all around the world these days, including to other places where they’re grown. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/13 "2022-08-30T01:02:53Z")
Medlars? > **[What's a Medlar? Learn All About this Fascinating Medieval Fruit - Garden and...](https://gardenandhappy.com/medlar/)** > > If you've never heard of a medlar before, you're not alone. This popular Medieval fruit may seem a bit weird, but it's making a huge comeback. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/14 "2022-08-30T01:08:41Z")
LOL, the only place I’ve encountered medlars is in Shakespeare, _As You Like It_, and they don’t sound appetizing: “you’ll be rotten ere you be half ripe, and that’s the right virtue of the medlar.” And @thorny_locust those heirloom apples look interesting, but the ones I ate looked much more mass-market. These are the green ones on the Dunne’s website posted by @Dorjan that look like them: > **[Dunnes Stores Everyday Savers 6 Green Apples](https://www.dunnesstoresgrocery.com/sm/delivery/rsid/258/product/dunnes-stores-everyday-savers-6-green-apples-100876434)** > > Number of Units 6 Storage Type Ambient Country of Origin - France Company Name Dunnes Stores / Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Ltd. Company Address Dunnes Stores, > 46-50 South Great George's Street, > Dublin 2. > > Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Ltd., > 28 Hill... I see the description specifies that they’re from France? ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-apples-did-i-eat-in-ireland/970544/15 "2022-08-30T01:20:43Z")
It’s possible there’s a variety of apple called “Green”. There’s certainly one called Greening – in fact there seem to be at least two, Rhode Island Greening and Northern Greening – , but the Greenings I’ve had from a friend’s orchard didn’t look much like the picture, ripen in October, and were quite large. However, I wonder whether that’s not a description instead of a variety name, and the company’s just selling whatever green-skinned apple they can lay their hands on at the moment.