White peach

Peach: peachy for some, sinful for others

The peach takes its name from Persia, which was thought to be its country of origin, reflected by its scientific name Prunus persica. Modern research shows it in fact originated in China, with some suggesting it has existed for 6000 years. It can be found in Japan as early as 5000 years ago and in India for three millennia. It was brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the 16th Century and then to France and England 100 years later. In France, its name, pêche, is a near homonym to pécher, which means to sin. Some of its French varieties therefore have suggestive names, including Venus’s Nipple, which Louis XIV particularly appreciated. The English introduced the peach in its North American colonies in the 17th Century and Thomas Jefferson is said to have planted some at Monticello. In the 19th Century. They become an important commercial crop all along the Eastern Seaboard.