The apple is the most common fruit in our pantries, with thousands of varieties: sweet, tart, crunchy, floury. In Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige is apple country par excellence.
In the kitchen it goes far beyond cake: steamed and blended with carrot it becomes a velvety purée to serve with braised dishes; diced with yogurt and onion it is a fresh sauce for spiced dishes; blended with garlic, ginger and chili it goes into kimchi. If organic, you can keep the skin on.