They've always been at the forefront of globalization. Wherever people need to wear an overcoat for at least two months of the year, apples will grow. They are happiest of all though, where warm summer days are followed by  cool nights, as their original home is in the Caucasus. Eve’s iblical apple was thus far more likely to have been a pomegranate, while Aphrodite probably received a quince from Paris – the Romans were the first to develop the necessary know-how to cultivate and grow the tingly fresh all-purpose fruit.

Nations such as the USA boast their own, traditional apple culture. One man is to thank for this, the legendary figure Johnny Appleseed. Born John Chapman in 1774, this pious farmer’s son headed into the great west during his youth, but unlike the cowboys, looked to tame the wilderness by clearing woods and planting seeds. He set up countless nurseries in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, selling the seedlings for a little income or giving them away to impoverished settlers. A similarly famous apple fan was Russian botanist Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin, who in the last century successfully cultivated trees that produced juicy, frost-resistant apples even in the ultra-short Siberian summer.

Since then, institutes around the world have produced a couple of hundred new varieties every year, mostly sweet, round and visually appealing. Often these apples are only in fashion for a short period, and soon disappear from supermarket shelves. How many different types exist today? Pomologists, as the experts in the field are officially known, estimate the figure to be around 20,000. However, bearing in mind that varieties often accrue a dozen or more different names on their global travels, the real total may be closer to 6,000 or 8,000.

The world’s best apples are not bred, however – they are discovered. Every now and then a sapling grows which produces superior fruit to those around it. If discovered by a clever gardener, this apple may rise to become a regional speciality, or even – as in the case of New Zealand’s Braeburn – to enjoy global success. No matter how widely consumed they become, apples always taste of home, and the area in which they grow. Indians love the fragrant Amri from the gardens of Kashmir, while Norwegians swear by the Åkerø from the Fjord region, where the summer sun shines until midnight. Australians are hugely proud of their green Granny Smith, and the Russians of their hardy Antonovka. Brits and Germans like to mash their cooking apples when making pies and cakes, while the French prefer their favourite apple, the Golden Delicious, to be baked in slices, adding visual appeal to tarts.

Somewhere in the world is the perfect apple for every palate and every purpose. When selecting an apple, you generally can’t go wrong by simply biting in and relying on your own tastes. In addition to aroma, flavour and colour, the sound of an apple is also important – those who prefer crunchy varieties enjoy the crisp snap of flesh between their teeth, while those of a softer disposition enjoy the dampened chewing sound of more tender varieties.