What It Could Mean If Your Apples Taste Bitter

What's a healthy, filling, and versatile snack? Apples! Oh yes, there is a reason people say, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." As Healthline reports, apples can be part of a healthy and balanced diet, as they are a fruit rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and other nutrients. You can have apples as is, sliced and topped with cinnamon or Greek yogurt, put them over pancakes, or even make a slaw with them. If you're feeling like going to the next level, you can bake with apples in many amazing ways, from pies to cinnamon rolls.

But, as an apple enthusiast, you may have encountered a bad apple before. Sometimes it doesn't look appetizing, or sometimes you bite into it and the apple doesn't taste good. Bitter, perhaps? It's common to wonder if you bought the wrong apples, or if you stored them in the incorrect way. Don't worry, apples stored in the fridge are just fine, and this wasn't your mistake. Apples can actually be bitter physiologically, either because of the tree they came from or the apple itself.

Foods Guy explains that apples can get bitter for two reasons: They have high levels of a substance called tannin, or they have a condition known as "bitter pip" caused by a disorder in the apple tree. Tannins are bitter and astringent (via Decanter) and are present in wine as well. Some apple varieties have more tannins in their skins than others, and this causes the bitter flavor. Luckily, once bitter apples are baked, stewed, or cooked, tannins disappear, as Foods Guy explains. So yes, bitter apples are still welcomed in an apple pie.

Bitter pip (which is also sometimes referred to as "bitter pit") is a physiological disorder, as Gardening Know-How explains. It is not a fungus, bacteria, or virus, so it won't harm you if you eat it. The apple will only look dry and discolored because the fruit is low in calcium. The Whole Portion advises eating the bitter apples after peeling the skin off and removing the core. If cooking with the apple, try disguising the flavor with a fat, like olive oil or butter, spices, a sweetener, or an acid vinegar. You can also try to prepare homemade cider since tannins add a lot of value in brewing and preserving. The point is: don't get rid of your bitter apples, save them!