From the Living Museum
Antoinette
- Origin
- Rouen area, Normandy, France
- Era
- Traditional French (pre-20th c.)
- Type / use
- Cider (Bittersweet)
Portrait to be revealed
History & Stories
Sparsely documented in English-language sources. The Haute-Normandie pomological society lists it as a bittersweet cider apple from Rouen, also known as Muscadet de la Seine-Inférieure and Petit Muscadet 1. Its relative obscurity makes it interesting for collectors seeking lesser-known continental varieties; further characterization (including DNA) would be valuable.
Folklore & Name
Appears in French cider apple lists as a rare bittersweet. Limited English documentation; likely a traditional French cider variety whose name may honor a person or simply be a local designation. Further research and tasting recommended.
Digging into the History
Below my own notes, here is what the old fruit books and today’s collections record about this apple, kept apart from the stories people tell.
What we know
The Association Pomologique de Haute-Normandie lists Antoinette as a cider apple, also called Muscadet de la Seine-Inférieure and Petit Muscadet. It gives Rouen as its origin 1. Its juice is rated douce-amère, bittersweet, and it ripens at the end of October 1 (our translations).
The competing accounts
- Association Pomologique de Haute-Normandie 1: a bittersweet cider apple from Rouen, also called Muscadet de la Seine-Inférieure and Petit Muscadet.
- It is sometimes described as a French or Belgian dessert or dual-purpose apple. We found no source for that; the name may be shared by more than one apple.
Most likely (our judgment, not a certainty): a Norman cider apple from around Rouen. That is the only documented Antoinette we found, and it matches the cider use and bittersweet type recorded for the tree here.
What we think: stories & traditions
French, and probably Norman. The synonyms tie it to the old Seine-Inférieure department around Rouen, now Seine-Maritime 1. We found no sign of a Belgian origin or of use as a dessert apple. We also found no date for when it first appeared.
Sources
- Association Pomologique de Haute-Normandie, "Fiche variétale – Pomme à cidre – Antoinette" (French). www.aphn.net/2010/03/02/fiche-varietale-pomme-a-cidre-antoinette/
Curious about Antoinette?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.