The orchards of Central Asia

Text by Ian Claytor

Photos by Anton Kovalenko

The markets of Central Asia often amaze visitors with the vast array of colours and varieties of locally grown sweet, succulent and fragrant fruits.  Fruits such as: apples and pears, (and their relative, the quince); apricots and peaches; plums and prunes; cherries; grapes; figs; persimmons; melons (watermelons, honey dew and a host of other exotic varieties); pomegranates; citrus fruits such as lemons and mandarins; rhubarb (technically a vegetable); tomatoes and pumpkin (both technically fruits  although usually used as vegetables); a wide variety of berries such as rowan, buckthorn, barberry, hawthorn, blackcurrants and redcurrants, raspberries and strawberries; and nuts such as walnuts, almonds, peanuts (or  groundnuts) and pistachio nuts. 

The fruit comes in many different forms: fresh - piled high in colourful pyramids on the market stalls or by the roadside; dried - especially apricots, figs, dates raisins and slices of melon; bottled; canned; and as jams and juices.     

Varieties of apples abound  varying in shape, colour, size and sweetness.  This should not be surprising as the origin of the modern apple lies in the heart of the Tien Shan mountain range, in the Eastern regions of Kazakhstan.  Recent research suggests that the ancestors of the modern apple evolved here many millions of years ago and seeds were transported westwards over the course of time, at first by birds and animals, and in more recent times (the last 10,000 years) by human travelers.  Everywhere, the fruit proved to be a popular food and the cultivation of trees began with grafting and new hybrids were developed wherever man settled. 
The south of Kyrgyzstan has the world's largest relict of walnut forest.  (Nuts are technically a fruit).  Although it is probable that the walnut originated elsewhere and migrated to Central Asia, it was from here that they reached Europe when Alexander the Great, having encountered the fruit during his conquest of the region, sent samples back to his Macedonian homeland.

Babur, the founder of the Moghul Empire of India who was born in Andijan, in Uzbekistan's Ferghana valley, recalls in his memoirs the abundance of fruits.  He specifically mentions the melons and grapes of his hometown, and the pomegranates and apricots of Margilan.  He tells how the local people created a particular delicacy, by replacing the apricot stone with an almond before the fruit was dried.

The Apricot tree is important to the Kyrgyz, not just for the succulent fruit it bears throughout the summer, and which can be dried for use in winter, but also because the wood of the tree is the basic material used for several of the traditional musical instruments such as the komuz, (a three stringed instrument similar to the lute).

During the days of the Great Silk Road, Rhubarb (technically a vegetable, not a fruit), was one of the products traded along with the fabric which gave the ancient trade route its name.  (Some people even refer to the Rhubarb Road).  Used and highly prized in China from ancient times as a medicinal herb, Marco Polo writes extensively in his account of his travels about the plant and its uses.  Rhubarb, (Reven in Russian), still grows wild in the high mountain meadows of Kyrgyzstan and children can often be seen standing by the roadside offering small bunches for sale. 

Another favourite which is often seen being sold at the roadside during the summer months are berries from the Sea buckthorn bush  known locally as 'oblepicha'.  These bright yellow berries are gathered by the bucketful and used as fruit, as a jam or oil  and it has a number of medicinal claims made for it.  Central Asia, as a whole, is the home to many of the world's species of fruits and nuts and the region is seen as an important reservoir of specimen material for the “Seed Banks” of the world, providing valuable supplementary material to the gene pool for the protection of existing food stocks and the development of new varieties and stocks.

For the visitor to Central Asia the sheer range of fresh fruit and the different varieties available can make a refreshing change to the cellophane wrapped, packaged produce on sale in the supermarkets at home … as well as providing for some interesting photo-opportunities.