All apples are not created equal
The tsars did not need to build an empire in order to acquire this particular fruit (oranges are another story alogether!). However, once they pushed the borders south into Ukraine, they found themselves in possession of a proliferation of varieties, many of which came to dominate the markets of St. Petersburg and Moscow.
And everyone agreed that the best apples came from Crimea.
All sorts grew on the peninsula, ranging from pedestrian to highly prized. The "Sary Sinap" or "Sary Sinop" held pride of place among them all. Just how fabulous could this apple possible be, you might ask? Well, according to Crimea's most famous horticulturalist (Abram Isaakovich Pastak),
There you have it.oldtime gardeners consider the notion of Crimean orchardry unthinkable without the Sary Sinop apple.
(See the Atlas plodov, vypusk 1, page 77)