Apple sauce is a purée (not necessarily served as a true

sauce In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi- solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavour, texture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...

) made of

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

s. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and can be spiced or sweetened. Apple sauce is inexpensive and is widely consumed in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and some parts of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. A wide range of apple varieties are used to make apple sauce, depending on the preference for sweetness or tartness. Formerly, sour apples were usually used to make savory apple sauce. Commercial versions of apple sauce are readily available at

supermarkets A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...

and other

retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholes ...

outlets.

Preparation

Apple sauce is made by cooking apples with water or apple cider (fresh apple juice). More acidic apples will render a finer purée; the highly acidic Bramley apple creates a very fine purée. The apples may or may not be peeled. If they are not peeled, the peels and

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s are typically separated in a

food mill A food mill (also called passatutto, purée sieve, moulinette, mouli légumes, passe-vite, or triturator) is a food preparation utensil for wikt:Mash, mashing and sieve, sieving soft foods invented in Brussels in 1928 by Victor Simon. Typicall ...

Sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

and spices such as

cinnamon Cinnamon is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species from the genus ''Cinnamomum''. Cinnamon is used mainly as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines, sweet and savoury dishes, biscuits, b ...

, allspice, and even Red Hot candies may be added for flavor. Lemon juice, citric acid, or other acidifiers may be used to preserve the color and ensure a high enough

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

ity for safe storage. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) also preserves the color. Apple sauce can be made by baking rather than

boiling Boiling or ebullition is the rapid phase transition from liquid to gas or vapor, vapour; the reverse of boiling is condensation. Boiling occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, so that the vapour pressure of the liquid is equal to ...

, in which case the apples are peeled and cored before cooking. The same process is applied when preparing the sauce in a slow cooker. Home or commercially canned apple sauce is sterilized by heat to preserve freshness.

Apple butter

Apple butter is a highly concentrated version of apple sauce. Its high concentration of sugar gives it a long shelf life.

Uses

Apple sauce is served as a

side dish A side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order, side item, or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal.pork chops and apple sauce. American-style apple sauce is not widely available in Britain. An apple preserve, containing chopped, not puréed apples, is sold as "apple sauce." In the UK it is typically sold under the name apple purée and as baby food. In

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

and Britain, it is commonly served with roast pork and goose. The Danish æbleflæsk combines the pork with apple sauce while cooking it. Latkas

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

it accompanies potato pancakes, in the Rhineland it is served with Reibekuchen. In Ashkenazi cuisine, it is the standard accompaniment for Hanukkah latkes. It also accompanies matzah brei. Apple sauce is served with many foods in Germanic cuisine: Flurgönder (a smoked brawn), various kinds of Spätzle, Schupfnudeln,

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

Älplermagronen, a kind of macaroni and cheese. In

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and Belgian cuisine, apple sauce is part of the common dish of chicken, french fries, and apple sauce (''kip, frieten/patat en appelmoes''). It is especially popular among children, who dip their fries in apple sauce. In many cuisines, apple sauce is a common accompaniment to blood sausage: the German Himmel und Erde; the Luxembourgish träipen and the French ''boudin noir''. In fact the only French savory dish normally served with apple sauce ('' compote de pommes'') is '' boudin'' sausage. It is also served with other sausage-like preparations, for example

goetta Goetta ( ) is a meat-and-grain sausage or mush of German inspiration that is popular in Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky metropolitan area, Metro Cincinnati. It is primarily composed of ground meat (pork, or sausage and beef), steel-cut oats and spic ...

and knipp. Apple sauce may also be served as a dessert in most European cuisines, or used as an ingredient in apple sauce cake. Apple sauce may be used as a sauce for Polish

pierogi Pierogi ( ; ) are filled dumplings made by wrapping Leavening, unleavened dough around a Stuffing, filling and cooked in boiling water. They are occasionally flavored with a savory or sweet garnish. Typical fillings include potato, cheese, ...

, Swedish Äggakaka, Ukrainian syrniki pancakes, Central European Palatschinken, Austrian Kaiserschmarrn and various kinds of sweet and savory dumplings (

Knödel Knödel (; and ) or Klöße (; : ''Kloß'') are Boiling, boiled dumplings commonly found in Central European cuisine, Central European and East European cuisine. Countries in which their variant of is popular include Austria, Bosnia, Croatia, ...

). In Scandinavian cuisine, it is sometimes served with breakfast

filmjölk (), also known as , is a traditional fermented milk product from Sweden, and a common dairy product within most of the Nordic countries. It is made by fermentation (food), fermenting cow's milk with a variety of bacteria from the species ''Lactoc ...

, a kind of fermented milk. Formerly heavily sweetened and boiled-down apple sauce was prepared for winter storage. Made with sour apples, it was eaten with meat; made with sweet apples, it was eaten with tea. In some recipes for baked goods, apple sauce can be used as a substitute for fat or eggs to make them low-fat or

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

. Bavarian sweet mustard may be made with apple sauce, and is typically served with Weißwurst (similar to ''boudin blanc'') or Leberkäse (a sort of pâté).

Nutritional information

According to the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

, a reference amount of unsweetened apple sauce is 82% water, 18%

carbohydrate A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ...

s, and contains negligible fat and

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

, while supplying of food energy. It has an

ic pH between 3.3 and 3.6.

In therapeutic diets

The BRAT diet and the CRAM diet, which are given to children with diarrhea and stomach problems, include apple sauce.

Economy

Apples are the third most internationally traded fruit, behind bananas and grapes. The global apple sauce trade is expanding, with a market valued at US$1.611 billion in 2017 projected to reach US$2.169 billion by the end of the year 2026. This increase in demand can be attributed to an increase in interest for apple flavored products, with increased global consumption of apple flavored juices and sauces. Apple sauce is most commonly packaged in cups, jars, pouches, and cans. Apple sauce cups are the largest segment of the apple sauce market, comprising 40.9% of the revenue share in 2017. Brick-and-mortar retail stores account for about 85% of the market share for apple sauce, as compared to 15% among e-retailers.

Origins

Sauces made with apples date to at least the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. Apple butters were brought to the Americas by German immigrants such as the Moravians and

Pennsylvania Dutch The Pennsylvania Dutch (), also referred to as Pennsylvania Germans, are an ethnic group in Pennsylvania in the United States, Ontario in Canada, and other regions of both nations. They largely originate from the Palatinate (region), Palatina ...

. They are traditionally associated with the

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

n region of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and Southern

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apple Sauce

Sauce In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi- solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavour, texture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...

Belgian cuisine British cuisine English cuisine Dutch cuisine German cuisine American condiments British condiments