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From: joe@emacs.UUCP (Joe Chapman)
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: Nectarine vs. Peach
Message-ID: <101@emacs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 18-Sep-85 10:01:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: emacs.101
Posted: Wed Sep 18 10:01:20 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 20-Sep-85 07:03:56 EDT
References: <1154@mtgzz.UUCP> <1159@wucs.UUCP>
Organization: Uniworks Inc., Wellesley, MA
Lines: 33

``These stone fruits, or drupes, all come from a single genus in the
rose family, Prunus, and contain a large seed surrounded by a hard coat
composed mostly of lignin. [...]  The peach was brought to Europe in
Roman times, and is now grown primarily in the United States, South
Africa, and Australia.  There are two main varieties of peach: freestone
and clingstone; their names describe how easily the fruit is separated
from the stone.  Pectic substances (part of the cell wall cement) become
much more soluble in the freestone during ripening than they do in the
cling.  Freestones have almost disappeared from the market today because
cling peaches are firmer, easier to transport, and more deeply colored
(the orange pigment in apricots and peaches is a precursor of vitamin
A).  The dry, mealy, ``wooly'' texture of some supermarket peaches is
caused by picking the fruit early and putting it into cold storage for
two weeks or more; this treatment reduces the level of enzymes that
convert insoluble protopectin into soluble pectin.

``The nectarine is a fuzzless variety of peach, and this is the major
difference, although nectarines also tend to be smaller.  The fuzzy
trait is genetically dominant.  Nectarines and peaches can develop from
each other spontaneously as mutations from seed or as bud sports.''

In consideration of Usenet telephone charges, I'd normally hesitate
before quoting in extenso like this, but if you haven't got a copy of
Harold McGee's ``On Food and Cooking'' (which I've quoted above) I hope
to have whetted your appetite; it's published by Scribner's and well
worth the $29.95 price tag.


-- 
-- Joseph Chapman                  decvax!cca!emacs!joe
   CCA Uniworks, Inc.              joe@cca-unix.ARPA
   20 William St.
   Wellesley, MA  02181            (617) 235-2600