Granny Smith

Granny Smith, or green apple, is an apple cultivar originating in Australia from 1868 from a chance seedling propagated by Sir Nicholas Birtles. It is thought to be a seed from Malus sylvestris, the European Wild Apple, with the domestic apple M. domestica as the pollenizer; if this origin is correct, it is a hybrid. Widely propagated in New Zealand, it was originally introduced to England circa 1935 and the United States in 1972 by Grady Auvil.

Granny Smith apples are a light speckled green in color, though some may have a pink blush. They are crisp, juicy, tart apples which are excellent for both cooking and eating of the hand. They also are favored for salads because the slices do not brown as quickly as other varieties. A Granny Smith Apple usually has a slightly more sour, sharp flavor than other apples. It also tends to have a harder texture than other green apples, posing problems for denture wearers.

A Granny Smith Festival is held each year at Eastwood, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, where the variety was first grown.