Know Your Apples: Golden Delicious & Stayman

Originally, the control pie was going to be made only from Stayman apples, but my boss gave me a great article on cooking with apples that advocated mixing sweet and tart apples for optimal effect (see Marcia Kramer, "Mix 'Em Up, Says 'Professor Apple'" Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2005). This article cites the oft-quoted apple expert Tom Burford, aka Professor Apple and puts my Stayman apples firmly in the tart category. Fortunately, I also had one giant Golden Delicious (sweet) that I added.


The Stayman originated in Kansas as a seedling of the Winesap in 1866. These were grown locally in Lovingston Virginia. My pre-baking taste test showed these to be mildly tart, with a very slight mealiness. The Golden Delicious originated in West Virginia, and may be the most common apple in the world, despite having only been discovered around 1890. This one had a lovely, pear-like flavor before cooking and was mildly sweet. (Sources: Barrie E. Juniper and David J. Mabberley, The Story of the Apple [Timber Press, 2006] 156; Roger Yepsen, Apples [Norton, 1994] 114-5, 210-1.