M&S prepare to launch the Papple
Papple is a type of fruit that is about to be launched by Marks & Spencers which is a type of pear that resembles an apple. There have been many PR stunts to do with fruit in recent years and one of the most notable was a couple of years ago, which saw the introduction of something called the pineberry – a strange mix of strawberry and pineapple.
This new type of pear has been developed in New Zealand and despite looking very much like an apple, it is completely removed from the apple family of fruits. Instead it is a blend of two different types of pair, one from Asia and one from Europe. The fruit is a strange red colour, and the skin is mottled, making eating this fruit a rather unusual experience.
When you eat this fruit for the first time, the chances are you’ll bite it too hard, as you will expect it to have the crunchy texture of an apple. Instead it is very soft and has a sweetness that will almost overpower you. It is also much more juicy than an apple so you will find yourself sucking on it much more like you would on a pair.
The texture is very unusual, but it is a very refreshing fruit that most people will find delicious. The hybridisation of fruit is nothing new and it is something that has occurred over the years naturally and in fact many of the fruits that are available today are hybrids of fruits that existed in the past. For example, the grapefruit, was developed in Barbados 300 years ago as a cross between a pomelo and an orange.
Hybrids are not something that are very likely to work and it is estimated that only around one in every thousand attempts are successful. It also takes a very long time for the fruit to be produced as fruit trees take a long time to grow and is therefore it can be a long time before fruit farmers know if the hybrid has been successful. This new pear retails for one pound a piece.
