Cider

The apple was one of the first European fruits introduced into the North American colonies. A useful and versatile fruit, the apple could be eaten raw or stewed, baked, or dried. Most important, however, was its role in the making of hard cider. The bracing, mildly alcoholic drink could easily be made by anyone with a supply of apples, which could be pressed into juice and set aside to ferment without any specialized equipment. The fruit didn’t have to be perfect: green apples and even decayed ones could be used as long as the fermented juice was boiled (with ginger often added to improve the flavor). Hard cider became America’s foremost beverage and remained so well into the nineteenth century.