Comparison of Apples and Oranges - Essay Example

Going alphabetically, apples come first therefore it is better to discuss them before oranges. Other than being the name of a famous computer and related equipment manufacturer, the apple is a fruit that grows on one of the most widely cultivated trees across the planet. The typical apple fruit is a hand fruit and is usually cultured to be sweet in taste. It originated in the Middle East more than four thousand years ago and was transported to America by the first English settlers and later planted across America (IFR, 2006).

In terms of use, they are not heavily used in cooking American food as compared to British cuisine but are often used in desserts. Apple is also used for juice, cider, and syrup since it has a good taste and a rich aroma. A key difference when comparing to oranges is that the apple fruit can be consumed peeled or unpeeled while the orange is usually had after it has been peeled (IFR, 2006). Orange peel often finds other uses in the food industry while apple peel is used as a part of the fruit (Wikipedia, 2006).

The majority component of both apples and oranges is water but a lot of other minerals are also stored in them. Both fruits are also good sources of vitamin C but the orange contains almost double the amount of Vitamin C as compared to an apple (IFR, 2006). Additionally, oranges come in a whole variety of flavors which range from sweet to bitter (Wikipedia, 2006). They are a more popular fruit than the apple since they are cultivated, used, and consumed on a larger scale than apples (IFR, 2006).

Unlike the apple, they also have heavy use in the industry since orange oil is used as a scent-adding ingredient in household washing supplies, furniture polish, and even liquids used to clean automobile upholstery (Wikipedia, 2006). In conclusion, both fruits have their uses and our diet as well as our lives would be very different had we no apples or oranges. Clearly, we would not be able to compare them to each other but more importantly, we would lose out on a lot of flavors that we currently take for granted in food, desserts, and even fruits.