My Favorite All-Round Apple: The Rome Beauty Apple

What's your favorite apple? Many people love Honeycrisp for its sweet crunch — great for eating. Others love Granny Smith's tart flavor for baking, or Gala for its abundance of juice. Me, I have one stalwart favorite for both baking and eating, and I just discovered that it's a truly local piece of fruit for me too.

The Rome apple is bright red and very crunchy, especially when it is just picked. My family lives near a commercial apple orchard, and this is the apple I fell in love with early. I despise mushy apples — even the freshest sweet and tender Golden Delicious apples are frequently too soft for my tastes. The Rome apple is almost unfailingly crisp; it's rarely mealy. The skin is dark red, leaving a pink tinge around the creamy flesh when you bite into one. The skin also often has texture — slightly rough raised white speckles.

The Rome apple is crunchy enough for satisfying eating and not too sweet. (I am not a huge fan of super-sweet apples, personally.) This also makes it a solid apple for baking; the pieces hold their shape well and bake up nicely.

I also discovered at the farmers' market last weekend that the Rome apple is an Ohio original. "This is my favorite!" I told the farmer working the stand, and he was surprised, since the Rome is a more workaday apple, more taken for granted than the glamorous Honeycrisp. "Well that's an Ohio original," he said, "Born and bred. That there's a Johnny Appleseed apple."

I couldn't find confirmation on the Johnny Appleseed tale, but I do know that the Rome was first planted near the banks of the Ohio River in the early 19th century. The township was named Rome, so the apple became known as "Rome Beauty." And a beauty it is, too; with its perfect roundness and ripe red color, it looks like the quintessential apple of picture books.

The Rome apple also keeps well. If you find a peck at the farmers' market, try putting them away somewhere cool for the winter. Here's a little more info on storing apples for the winter.

(Images: Faith Durand)

Comments (27)

I think that a good McIntosh apple is perhaps the best apple there is. It is soft, though, and I can see how some folks would be put off by that. But I think it tastes exactly as an apple should -- tart with a clean flavor and just enough sweetness to round out the profile. Yum!

I say Jonagold all of the way. It's just enough sweet and tartness combined. I can't eat them raw anymore, due to an allergy, but I love baking with them.

Honey Crisp for me. Sweet balanced with some tartness, crisp, with great flavor. I hate mealy apples.

HONEYCRISP!!!! I just wish their season was a wee bit longer...

I also enjoy Braeburn apples.

Fuji! Crisp and sweet - and it's consistently excellent almost the entire year.

If it's September in New England, my answer would change to Macoun, though..

I vote for the "Snow" apple that was popular when I was a child and appeared in lunch boxes everywhere. It is smaller, with a snow white interior, and an excellent crunch. I have found them at markets and farm stands but never see it in the grocery store.

It's hard to beat an Arkansas Black! Some people say they're best for cooking, but they're awfully tasty for snacking if you ask me. Super duper crisp, nice appley flavor, not too tart, not too sweet, lovely dark red peel... I also love Honeycrisps, Fujis, Braeburns, and Granny Smiths. I always hate Deliciouses, be they golden or red, no matter what.

Honeycrisp, Fuji and Pink Lady/Cripps Pink.

Agree with Christine M. Yum!

I just can't get on board with the HoneyCrisp trend. Yes they're crisp, but their too sweet and bland. Same with Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, and Pink Lady.

When they're super fresh, I love McIntoshes and Macouns. Empires and Crispins are almost always good, and a little longer-lasting. Granny Smith isn't my favorite, but it is pretty reliably crisp and tart, no matter how out of season.

Macoun are the best!

Pink Ladies all the way!

Fuji and Granny Smith.

But nevermind the apples, where did you find that beautiful yellow baker?

@Kesal: well I love my apples crispy and sweet. apples that are too tart hurt my teeth.

Haralson! I like my apples very tart.

Ginger Golds in very early Fall, Spencer and Mutsu in late fall.

And by the way, those apples, and the yellow baker, are absolutely gorgeous!

jonathan or jonagold is hands down the best. sweet and tart and perfectly crisp. they are great straight off the tree or baked in a pie. my grandma would ONLY use them for her pies.

I'm in Wisconsin: I like to try different apples throughout the growing season--I bought five pounds of Empires today--crisp and a cross between sweet and tart. Amazing.

More importantly, buy your apples fresh from a local grower--they are so far superior to regular store fare. I never liked apples until I discovered locally grown and heirlooms. Nowadays, I only eat apples (or make sauce) in season.

Romes or Macintoshes get my vote. A good cooking apple needs to be just a bit tart to hold its own against the sweetness in a pie or crisp; also needs to keep some shape and not turn to mush.

Pink Lady has the perfect balance of tart sweet flavor and good texture for me, too bad I can't find them all year round :(

SweeTango is my current favorite for eating. It's got the crispness of a honeycrisp, but its flavor is a lot more interesting.

I live in the UK, so Cox apples when in season.

Honeycrisps are a Minnesota apple, and grown elsewhere, do not have the flavor they should. Maybe you have to visit Minnesota to experience the real thing;).

@JMooney, the vessel is vintage Dansk. I have several similar pieces collected over the years.

I concur with those voting for Empires. I just. I don't even.

Honeycrisps seem to be a bit hit-or-miss (or maybe it's just a matter of how hungry i am when I eat one! ha!)

Rome apples are my favorite apples for eating!! Unfortunately they're only available 3 months a year. During the season I eat 3 to 4 Rome apples a day. I don't understand why people think they're only good for cooking. I'm in a Rome apple withdrawal now, but I found an old one in my car today. Yum, yum yum. Where can I buy Rome apples all year round? I hate the new-fangled super sweet tasteless apples.