Most fruits and vegetables have their origin in one particular place on the globe. Radishes for example come from China, cranberries are natives of North America. Apples, and that may come as a surprise, apples are from the Tien Shan, from the forests around Almati. Almati meaning Father of All Apples. Next time you bite into a crunchy apple anywhere on this planet, ponder on the fact that that Red Delicious, the Golden Delicious varieties, the Fuji and the Empire, the Gala apple, Jonagold, Mutsu, the Pink Lady and the Elstar can all be traced back to two trees in the Tien Shan who, thousands of years ago, blossomed, bloomed and produced this Father of all Apples.

For ages, the area of Kazakhstan used to be a secluded spot, cut off from the rest of the world. With the onset of the trade route we call today The Great SiIk road, the area became a thoroughfare and many a smart tradesman understood just how appreciated the delicious apples found here would be by those living further East or West, where his journey would eventually take him. This is how the apple conquered the world, from a small place near Almati.

This initial isolation was the ideal environment for the local wild apple trees to develop exceptional traits. They were spared outside influence carrying and introducing disease. Elsewhere, apple plantations are battling with apple scab, apple rust, cedar apple rust, fireblight and powdery mildew, not to mention changing climatic conditions and bad weather. Tremendous efforts are undertaken to provide today's health conscious consumers with what they most want; impeccably beautiful apples, spotless, apples hat however have not been subjected to pesticides and chemicals.

Scientists all over the world are devoting research to crack the genetic code of apples from Kazakhstan. This will take a while though, maybe another 25 years. In the meantime the burning issue is to preserve the forests in Kazakstan. Just as plants in the Amazon rain forest hold solutions to key questions for our future, the wild apple trees near Almati could deliver the ingredients for widespread production of the ideal apple. But only of course if there are still sufficient wild apple trees for logging takes place in Kazakhstan as well and we all now the global consequences of cutting down trees on a large scale.

So next time you are in a bazaar in Almati, look out for these special fruits and bring some back to your family, colleagues or neighbors, just as was customary hundreds and hundreds of years ago.