History of nectarines

June 10

Nectarinas

Nectarines, in essence, are peaches that lack the fuzzy skin. These smooth fruits first arose on naturally mutated branches on peach trees, which are native to China. The peach has been cultivated for thousands of years in China, since 2000 B.C., where they are a symbol of long life. Contrary to common myth, the nectarine is not the result of hybridizing a peach with a plum. Although there is no specific literature or imagery specifically of the nectarine, an educated hypothesis is that the mutant fuzz less peach did occur in peach orchards. Whether these nectarines were celebrated or destroyed is unknown; as they are edible peaches, it seems unlikely the fruits would not have been appreciated regardless of when or where they appeared on peach trees.