Apples and apple trees are symbols of preference.

Apples appear in many religious traditions, often as a mystical or forbidden fruit. One of the problems identifying apples in religion, mythology and folktales is that the word "apple" was used as a generic term for all fruit, other than berries but including nuts, as late as the 17th century. This term may even have extended to plant galls, as they were thought to be of plant origin. For instance, when tomatoes were introduced into Europe they were called "love apples." In one Old English work, cucumbers are called eorþæppla (lit. "earth-apples'), just like in some languages (such as French and Dutch) potatoes are still called "earth-apples". In some languages, oranges are called "golden apples" or "Chinese apples". Datura is still called "thorn-apple".

Christian symbolismEdit

Though the forbidden fruit in the Book of Genesis is not described, Christian belief suggests that the apple was what Eve coaxed Adam to share with her. The unnamed fruit of Eden became the apple under the influence of the story of golden apples in the Garden of Hesperides. As a result, Adam and Eve became a symbol of knowledge, immortality, and sin.

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