Piñata Apples© Stemilt Growers Inc.
Piñata® is the trademarked name for an apple grown and marketed by the Stemilt Growers Company of Wenatchee, Washington, USA.
They are medium to large-sized apples, with slight ribbing, and orangish skin covered in red stripes. Inside, they have crisp, very juicy, very sweet, finely-textured flesh.
Some people think they detect pineapple and banana in the taste.
In Europe, the apple is grown in Austria, German, Italy and Poland.
Mid-October harvest in Washington State.
Cooking Tips
Good for fresh-eating.
Good for salads, because its flesh is slow to brown when cut.
The apple holds its shape well when baked.
Storage Hints
Because the flavour of Piñata® Apples improves in storage, Stemilt Growers company holds the apples in cold storage until January, and then ships them to market.
History Notes
Piñata Apples
©Stemilt Growers Inc.
Pinata® Apples were developed in Dresden-Pillnitz, Germany from a cross between Golden Delicious, Cox’s Orange Pippin and Duchess of Oldenburg apples in the 1970s. The apple was released in 1986.
In Europe, the apple is known under at least three names: Corail, Pinova and Sonata.
In 2001, it was rated “apple of the year” in Germany.
In 2004, the name “Piñata” was trademarked for the apple in North America by the Stemilt Growers Company when Stemilt negotiated exclusive rights to grow and market the apple in North America. Piñata is a combination of the Pinova and Sonata names.
Other growers who had previously licenced the apple under the Pinova name retained the rights to grow and market it under that name.
Sources
Brown, Susan and Kevin Maloney. Apple Cultivars: A Geneva Perspective. New York Fruit Quarterly, Volume 10, Number 2. 2002. Page 22.
Brue, Brianna. Stemilt Growers Inc. Representative. Correspondence with CooksInfo.com. Spring 2009.
Pepperl, Roger. Piñata Apples Press Kit. October 2008. Retrieved September 2009 from http://www.stemilt.com/InsideStemilt/press/Media%20Kit/Pinata_Press_Kit.pdf
Official Piñata site: http://www.stemilt.com/Pinata/Pages/default.aspx (Retrieved January 2010)