Court Pendu Plat is old apple variety from France, with a history dating
back to the early 1600s and many
earlier references. It was popular in Victorian times and still has a
small following.
With such an ancient lineage it is perhaps no surprise that Court
Pendu Plat is quite different from many other varieties. The
most distinctive feature is the strange flattened appearance. The base is
highly inverted and you can clearly see the flower stalk from which
the apple formed. The colouring is light green flushed with orange
and red.
The flesh is very dense, not soft but not crisp either. Cutting into
it with a knife feels a bit like cutting into a hard cheddar cheese.
There seems to be very little juice, and it is not really
apple-flavoured at all. The flavour is fruity and strong when picked,
and sweetens by Christmas. It is not actually very appealing when you
first bite into it, yet is strangely "more-ish", with a flavour which
is hard to define. It can also be used for cooking.
Although we have no proof, we think Court Pendu Plat could be
somewhere in the ancestry of Cox's Orange Pippin. The size, flattened
shape, colouration, and complex flavours of Cox are all there in Court
Pendu Plat, albeit in a more primitive form. Cox's probable parent -
Ribston Pippin - was apparently grown from a seedling brought to
England from France in the early 1700s, a time when Court Pendu Plat
was well-established on the Continent.