Alexander the Great and Apples

It's Alexander the Great's birthday! 

Or at least it's this week—no one knows the date for sure. We do know that Alexander was the quintessential ancient imperialist. He was undefeated in battle and is widely considered one of history's most successful military commanders. His campaign took him through Asia and northeast Africa, and he created one of the largest empires of the ancient world by the age of thirty. 

He shaped cultural and political borders, and of course "discovered" many foods from his extensive travels. One of those was the now common dwarf rootstock used in apples. He sent dwarf apples back to Macedonia in the fourth century BC, and to some his teacher Aristotle. 

The famous medieval work, The Book of the Apple is centrally about Aristotle himself, who lectures about immortality as he is dying, and he is periodically revived and energized by smelling an apple. 

May these apples re-energize you for the rest of this wonderful weekend! 👌🏼❤️