Apple Cider—The Essence of Fall

Fall has arrived and I couldn't be happier. I've had enough of sweaty humid days and uncomfortably hot nights. I love getting up early and feeling the slight chill that I know will dissipate as the day wears on. I like walking to work in crisp air and ending my day at the stove enjoying its heat rather than being tortured by it; and I am especially ready to start enjoying my favorite flavor of the fall season—fresh apple cider.

Apple cider terminology can be a bit confusing—the term historically referred to a mildly alcoholic beverage produced when apples were ground and pressed and the resulting liquid was allowed to ferment. Fermented apple cider is now called hard cider.

Today, in the U.S., apple cider refers to the unfermented and unfiltered liquid produced by pressing apples. The apples are picked (apples that have fallen off a tree are never used, they can contain dangerous bacteria and toxins), ground into a pulp, and pressed to yield cider. The cider retains a small amount of apple pulp resulting in an opaque liquid with a rosy brown color resulting from the oxidation (browning) of the apple pulp.

Apple juice is a translucent golden liquid made from apple cider that has been filtered to remove all traces of apple pulp. (Apple juice that has been watered down, or contains added sugar, must by law, be labeled as an apple drink or an apple juice beverage.) Apple juice has a far less complex flavor than apple cider and is also less nutritious. Unfiltered cider contains higher amounts of polyphenols (natural antioxidants that protect us from cancer) than commercially bottled apple juice. A recent study comparing apple cider to apple juice shows that apple cider's higher pectin content may have a greater protective effect against colon cancer.

The terminology gets even more confusing when we add in the modern practice of juicing fruits and vegetables using electrical juicers that are able to grind the entire fruit into a puree. Apples juiced using this method are entirely unfiltered and contain all the nutrients they originally had. This type of apple "juice" has a very short shelf life and thicker consistency than apple cider.

While cider sold at fruit stands is not always pasteurized, most apple cider sold in stores is, that is, heated to 160 degrees F or treated with UV light to kill any pathogens. Un-pasteurized cider can be risky for pregnant women, small children and those with a compromised immune system. While pasteurization renders apple cider safer to drink, and increases its shelf life, the process can alter the flavor of the cider slightly. The process destroys enzymes, and inhibits oxidation so pasteurized apple cider has less distinct flavor. Cider that will be used for cooking will almost always be heated about 160 degrees F, so using un-pasteurized cider for cooking is of less concern as long as it is stored and refrigerated properly and used before the end of its shelf life.