Peach

Appearance: Peaches can be red, pink, yellow, white, or a combination of those colors. On one side of the fruit is a distinctive vertical indentation. Peaches and nectarines look very similar, but they can be told apart by their skin texture: peaches are fuzzy and dull, while nectarines are smooth and shiny.

Taste and Aroma: A sweet juicy fruit that has skin that ranges from white to rich yellow to reddish brown and flesh that ranges from yellow to deep gold and red. The skins have a soft, fuzzy surface and the fruit contains a large pit in the middle, often surrounded by a darkened red flesh. This red flesh is bitterer tasting than the flesh around it, which is why some recipes may suggest removing the red fleshed area in the yellow-fleshed peach before it is prepared as an ingredient.

Origin: China is widely held to be the native home of peaches. This is supported by the fact that there is a wide range of wild peach types in the countryside. The peach was brought to the Mediterranean area from Iran (formerly called Persia. The peach was known in Greece by 300 BC and by the Romans shortly after 100 AD.

History: Peaches were originally from an area near the city of Xian, China. They were cultivated in China at least 3,000 years ago. Wild peaches, called "Maotao" or "Yietao", still grow in remote areas of China. Peaches spread to Russia and Persia (present-day Iran) probably because Chinese traders dropped peach pits along their trade routes. Alexander the Great and his armies found the peaches in Persia and brought them to Greece. Most Europeans assumed that peaches came from Persia. Throughout the next centuries, peaches were spread all over Europe. The Spanish brought peaches to America.

Nutrition Fact: Peaches are

• Low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium
• High in Vitamin C, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Niacin and Potassium