The Rome apple (also known as Red Rome, Rome Beauty, Gillett's Seedling) is a
cooking apple
A cooking apple or culinary apple is an apple that is used primarily for cooking, as opposed to a '' dessert apple'', which is eaten raw. Cooking apples are generally larger, and can be tarter than dessert varieties. Some varieties have a fi ...
originating near
Rome Township, Ohio, in the early 19th century. This
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 ...
remains popular for its glossy red color and for its utility in cooking.
Characteristics
The Rome is rounded, all red, and very glossy, with a thick skin and firm flesh. It is primarily used for baking, as its flavor develops when cooked, and it holds its shape well. It is commonly described as less desirable as an eating apple because of its subtle flavor that is not as sweet, flashy, or tart as some other varieties. It comes to market in late September and is considered a good keeper. Rome apples are widely grown and available, and are a staple variety in American commerce.
Chemical composition
Sugar 14.2%, acid 0.60%, tannin 0.05%, pectine 0.30%.
Disease susceptibility
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Scab: high
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Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungus, fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of Ascomycota, ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant disea ...
: high
*
Cedar-apple rust: high
*
Fire blight: high
Origins
The story is given that in 1817 Joel Gillet (also spelled "Gillett" or "Gillette" by his descendants) found a seedling tree in a shipment from a nursery.
His son planted the tree on the banks of the Ohio River in
Rome Township near
Proctorville, Ohio
Proctorville is a village in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 523 at the 2020 census. The East End Bridge connects Proctorville to Huntington, West Virginia across the Ohio River.
Proctorville is ...
where several years later it was found producing red fruit. His cousin, Horatio Nelson Gillett took cuttings and started a nursery to promote the apple. Originally known as "Gillett's Seedling", it was renamed the "Rome Beauty" in 1832 in honor of the township. The original tree survived into the 1850s until it was felled by erosion of the river bank.
References
External links
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National Fruit Collection page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rome Apple
Apple cultivars