Austria Brings 200-Year-Old Apple Varieties Back to Stores

Only 10 of Austria's 2,000 apple varieties make it to supermarkets today, but that's about to change in the most delicious way possible.

Spar, one of Austria's largest retail chains, just launched a pilot program bringing two rare apple varieties back to stores after more than a century in obscurity. The Ilzer Rosenapfel from 1840 and Falchs Gulderling from the 1870s are getting a second chance at modern cultivation.

The project started with 2,150 experimental trees planted in Styria. This week, the first fruits were picked and will arrive at a trial supermarket in Vienna next month, along with regional schools and daycare centers for taste testing.

"They recall apples from childhood," said Katrin Hohensinner-Häupl from produce distributor Frutura, who partnered with Spar on the initiative. The Gulderling arrived oversized and deep red, while the Ilzer Rosenapfel came out smaller and paler, each with distinct characteristics lost in modern apple breeding.

The team is testing whether these historic varieties can handle commercial growing conditions today. They're measuring taste, growth performance, disease resistance, and shelf life to see if large-scale production makes sense.

Beyond nostalgia, there's real science backing this tasty time travel. Researchers at Berlin's Charité hospital found that heirloom apple varieties contain significantly higher levels of polyphenols, antioxidants that have been bred out of modern apples. These compounds can actually allow people with apple allergies to enjoy the fruit again.

The study showed that allergy sufferers who regularly eat tolerable varieties experience fewer hay fever symptoms. For adults dealing with both conditions, this represents genuine health progress hidden in historic genetics.

Why This Inspires

This project shows how looking backward can move us forward. By combining traditional varieties with modern growing techniques, Austria is recovering flavors described as raspberry, clove, nut, and lemon notes that industrial agriculture nearly erased.

The movement extends beyond Austria. Germany's Reutlingen has a public park with 50 apple tree types, while Berlin's Apfelgalerie boutique curates 200 varieties. In Schleswig-Holstein, gardener Jochen Bock grafted over 100 apple varieties onto a single tree when he ran out of garden space.

Each rescued variety represents biodiversity we can't afford to lose. As climate conditions shift and diseases evolve, having genetic diversity in our food crops becomes more critical, not less.

If the Austrian pilot succeeds, Spar plans to offer these special varieties throughout the region, turning supermarket fruit sections into living museums of agricultural heritage.

The forgotten apples of yesterday might just become the solution crops of tomorrow.