Torstein Apple

The Torstein apple owes its name to the person that helped spread it to the Norway region of Hardanger, after it had been imported there in 1750. The Hardanger had long been the area dedicated to its farming, then, in the 20th century, it spread throughout the Swedish territory. This dissemination was not very successful, since today the Torstein is out of production. A few private farmers grow it, but there are no traces of it on the market. The survival of the Torstein apple is now in the hands of a few people, and the fact it is preserved in the botanical garden of the Hjeltnes Horticultural College in Ulvik. The risk is that, as for other apple varieties, its traces are lost and it becomes a museum exhibit.

The Torstein is part of the Reinette family, and is especially recommended as a table apple. The skin is of medium thickness, smooth and tough, and depending on the degree of ripening, its colour varies from green to yellow, often brightened by red streaks. The flesh varies from white to light yellow, and it is tender, juicy, mildly tart, with a flavour that is not too pronounced.