From the Living Museum
Christkindler
- Origin
- Upper Rhine: Mittelbaden, Alsace and the Basel region; probably 17th century
- Era
- Traditional Central European
- Type / use
- Dessert · Dual (late)
History & Stories
The name (‘Christ Child’) often indicates a late-ripening or Christmas-season apple. In Alsace it is a traditional Christmas apple, ripening from November to February; in Baden it was an old local cider (Most) apple between Kenzingen and Kehl 1. Limited English documentation. Interesting as a continental European heritage type that has not been widely popularized in the English-speaking world.
Folklore & Name
German/Central European; ‘Christkindler’ associates it with the Christ Child / Christmas season, typical of late-keeping European apples reserved for the holidays.
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
Christkindler, also known as Kohlenbacher and Purpurroter Zwiebelapfel ("purple-red onion apple"), comes from the borderlands of the Upper Rhine. The German orchard Obsthof am Steinberg gives its origin as "Mittelbaden/Elsass/Baseler Land," probably in the 17th century 1. It describes the apple as an old local cider (Most) apple from the area between Kenzingen and Kehl, in Baden 1. It ripens from November to February 1 (our translations).
What we think: stories & traditions
A Christmas apple. The Obsthof notes that in Alsace it is a traditional Christmas apple 1. That fits the name, since the Christkind (Christ Child) brings presents in Alsace and southern Germany. The link between the name and the custom is our inference.
Sources
- Obsthof am Steinberg, "Christkindler," Apfelsortenlexikon (German). obsthof-am-steinberg.de/ueber-uns/apfelsortenlexikon/christkindler--2/
Curious about Christkindler?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.