When you picture an apple, you probably picture a Red Delicious. Yet the same process that led to this iconic apple’s vibrant color actually led to its downfall.
It wasn’t always a misnomer. At one point, Red Delicious apples were among the most highly coveted apple varieties in the United States — and they had a flavor to match.
In 2018, however, we saw the end of the Red Delicious apple’s long reign. Gala apples, with their mottled hues and mild sweetness, took the lead, marking the first time in more than 50 years that any apple’s sales surpassed those of the Red Delicious.
It’s a no-brainer: Given the wide array of apple cultivars to choose from nowadays — and with even more varieties emerging every year — who would opt for the tough skin and mealy flesh of a Red Delicious (or what Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso calls “a mouthful of roughage”)?
But did you know there’s an identifiable reason for the downfall of the most iconic apple in America?
Here’s how the king of apples was dethroned: slowly, steadily, and, as it turns out, intentionally.