Meet the Deliciouses, Red and Golden

So I told you in my first post that this blog was inspired by my friend who started a business to deliver apples to offices so employees can have a healthy snack option at work. Well, my friend, Megan, has given me permission to talk about her business in my blog. It's called Apple-A-Day, and it services various areas in the state of Washington. They install a mini-fridge in the subscribing office, and every week they will fill the fridge with fresh, locally-grown apples. It's an awesome perk for employees, and in the long run, the company will likely save money on health insurance since employees will be healthier (yes, working for an insurance company does make these kinds of thoughts pop into my head). Plus, a healthy breakfast increases productivity! You can find out more about Apple-A-Day at apple-a-day.com.

Since I didn't have to wake up early on Saturday and Sunday, I had my apple each day as part of my brunch. On Saturday, I had a Red Delicious with a garlic-covered egg, 3-pepper colby jack cheese, and a few slices of crispy bacon. Today, I ate the Golden Delicious along with avocado-eel sushi, crispy bacon, and carrots with spinach cream dip.

Both the Red Delicious and the Golden Delicious are extremely recognizable by their coloring. The image of the Red Delicious, with its deep red hue and angular shape, is probably considered the most prototypical image of the apple in the US. It's the image that comes to mind when you think of an apple sitting on a teacher's desk. In fact, over time apple growers have pushed the Red Delicious to attain this perfect image, at the expense of its taste, unfortunately. The article in the NY Times, which I also had in my post about the Cameo, talks about this predicament.

When I tasted the Red Delicious yesterday, I was a bit disappointed to find that it tasted nothing like how I remembered. It was a bit bland and "soggy". The skin was thick and chewy, and the insides were a bit mushy. It sure was a pretty apple, but didn't taste so great. Maybe I just got a particularly bad one and need a larger sample size

The Golden Delicious, on the other hand, was very tart. The skin was tasteless and was thicker than I would have liked, but this apple definitely had a lot more kick than the Red Delicious. It wasn't quite as juicy as the Fuji, and its flavor was a bit one-dimensional, unlike the more complex Cameo and Fuji varieties. I didn't detect any fleeting hints or undertones or aftertastes. The sweetness of each bite was uniform and unchanging, to the point where it got a little boring. As a wine lover, I crave the subtle notes that add to the complexity of the taste, so a single uniform flavor isn't gonna score too high with me. If you like sweet and simple, this is the apple for you.

I ate both of these apples as part of a meal, rather than a standalone breakfast, so the interference of other food could have possibly masked the more subtle tastes of these apples. Also, remember that these opinions are based on a sample size of just one apple per variety.

Specialtyproduce.com says that the Red Delicious offers a "mildly sweet flavor and slightly flora aroma", and that the skin contains many antioxidants.
It says that the Golden Delicous can range from sweet to bland, depending on where it is grown. Colder climates create a sweeter apple, while warmer climates lower the acidity of the apple, resulting in a blander taste.

Red Delicious is a sport (genetic mutation) of Delicious, an old American variety. Golden Delicious, which is actually not related to Red Delicious, is believed to be descended from Grimes Golden, another old American variety. The list of descendents of both of these are a bit long, so if you're curious you can look on their webpages:
http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/golden-delicious
http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/red-delicious
You can click on each of the listed ancestors and descendants and find out more about them, and even trace the apples up or down a few generations.

From Stemlit:
Cheeses that pair well with Red Delicious: Cheddar, Camembert, and Provolone
(Funny, because I had cheddar with each of the other apples, but I had the 3-pepper colby jack instead with the Red Delicious.)
Wines that pair well with Red Delicious: Cabernet Sauvignon and Chianti

Each of the above cheeses and wines have bold flavors, so I guess they're intended to make up for the blandness of the Red Delicious.

Cheeses that pair well with Golden Delicious: Camembert, Brie, and Gruyere
Wines that pair well with Golden Delicious: Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and Champagne/Sparkling

Alright, that's all I have for now about the Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. I admit I was a little disappointed in both, but no apple-tasting would be complete without these two well-known, extremely recognizable American classics.