The sexual and romantic connotations of the apple were powerful reasons why apples came as dessert at the end of the meal. They not only tasted heavenly and were good for digestion but were regarded as a cunning transitional aphrodisiac for the pleasures that followed. They have taken their rightful place in the pleasure gardens of the wealthy throughout the world in spite of the almost instinctive knowledge that eating them may lead one to a life of chaos and destruction. Previously isolated gene pools from some of the 25 distinctly different species of apples found throughout the world are now brought in contact with each other and gene transfer among apple species occurs. Agriculturalists are charmed.
Naturalists are alarmed .
Agriculturalists are charmed. Naturalists are alarmed. Dried apple slices are found on saucers in the tomb of Queen Pu-Abi at Ur near Basara, in Southern Iran, linking royalty to the irresistible seduction of apples . Hittite Law Codes specify a three shekel penalty for anyone allowing a fire to destroy an apple orchard. He then proceeds to coin a new Greek word from the Persian pairidaeza , or walled garden, later becoming the Latin paradisus , and finally the English paradise.