Michelin is a variety of cider apple commonly grown in commercial orchards in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, although originating in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

History

'Michelin' was raised by the nurseryman Legrand of Yvetot,

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, and first fruited in 1872.Morgan and Richards, ''The New Book of Apples'', 2002, p. 283 It was named for the

pomologist Pomology (from Latin , “fruit,” + ) is a branch of botany that studies fruit and its cultivation. The term fruticulture—introduced from Romance languages (all of whose incarnations of the term descend from Latin and )—is also used. Pomol ...

Henri Michelin who carried out a great deal of study into cider fruits.Copas, ''A Somerset Pomona'', 2001, p. 49 It was first brought to England in 1883 or 1884 by members of the Woolhope Naturalists Club of

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a population ...

, who visited a

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

horticultural show with the aim of proving a link between the so-called "Norman" cider apple varieties of Herefordshire and genuine Normandy cultivars. Although they were unable to find any similar varieties, they did bring back several apples including 'Michelin' and 'Medaille d'Or'. 'Michelin' proved to be an extremely heavy cropping and reliable cider apple. Although rare in France, by the 20th century it had become the most planted cider variety in England, especially in conjunction with '

Dabinett 'Dabinett' is an apple cultivar, customarily used in Somerset for making cider. History 'Dabinett' probably dates from the early 1900s, when it was found by William Dabinett growing as a wilding (a natural seedling) in a hedge at Middle Lamb ...

' (notably in orchards planted for the Taunton Cider Company).Copas, 2001, p.15

Characteristics

'Michelin' is a mid-season, medium 'bittersweet' apple, relatively high in sugars, low in

malic acid Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ...

, and high in tannins. Its avoidance of biennial fruiting tendencies makes it a reliable cropper, though its juice makes a relatively characterless cider unless blended with other varieties. Its medium-small sized, green apples bear a close resemblance to the variety ' Brown Snout' without the latter's characteristic patch of russetting.

References

{{apples Apple cultivars