View source for Apple cider

{{Short description|Non-alcoholic apple beverage}}
{{for|the alcoholic beverage|Cider}}
[[File:Cider and apple juice.jpg|thumb|Apple cider (''left'') is an unfiltered, unsweetened [[apple juice]]. Most present-day apple juice (''right'') is filtered (and [[pasteurized]]).|alt=]]

'''Apple cider''' (also called '''sweet cider''', '''soft cider''', or simply '''cider''') is the name used in the United States and Canada for an unfiltered, unsweetened, [[non-alcoholic beverage]] made from [[apple]]s. Though typically referred to simply as "cider" in North America, it is not to be confused with the alcoholic beverage known as [[cider]] in other places, which is called "hard cider" in the US. Outside of the United States and Canada, it is commonly referred to as '''cloudy apple juice''' to distinguish it from clearer, filtered [[apple juice]] and [[hard cider]].
 
Fresh liquid cider is extracted from the whole apple itself, including the apple core, trimmings from apples, and oddly sized or shaped “imperfect” apples, or apple culls. Fresh cider is opaque due to fine apple particles in suspension and generally tangier than commercially cooked and filtered apple juice, but this depends somewhat on the variety of apples used. Cider is sometimes [[pasteurization|pasteurized]] or exposed to UV light to kill bacteria and extend its [[shelf life]], but traditional raw untreated cider is still common. Some companies have begun adding preservatives and boiling cider, so that it can be shelf stable and stored without refrigeration. In either form, apple cider is seasonally produced in autumn.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DF163AF932A05753C1A966958260 | title=Apple Cider: It's the Drink For Tonight | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | first=Florence | last=Fabricant | date=1990-10-31 | access-date=2010-04-25 | archive-date=2024-05-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525230527/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/31/garden/apple-cider-it-s-the-drink-for-tonight.html | url-status=live }}</ref> It is traditionally served on [[Halloween]], [[Thanksgiving]], [[Christmas]], and [[New Year's Eve]], sometimes heated and [[Mulling spices|mulled]].

==Nomenclature==
[[Image:Juicing3.jpg|thumb|left|A vintage combination apple grinder and press. Moving slatted baskets left to right allows simultaneous two-person production.]]
[[Image:Juicing1.jpg|thumb|left|A small scale hydraulic apple press. Each load produces about {{convert|140|USgal|L}}/(116 Imperial gallons).]]

Although the term "cider" is used for the fermented alcoholic drink in much of the world, it often refers to fresh "apple cider" in North America; ''hard cider'' is used there instead when referring to the alcoholic drink.<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Barber |editor1-first=Katherine |title=Canadian Oxford Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |edition=2nd |page=277|date=2004 |isbn=9780195418163}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=U.S.C. Title 26 – Internal Revenue Code |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2018-title26/html/USCODE-2018-title26-subtitleE-chap51-subchapA-partI-subpartC-sec5041.htm|access-date=2021-01-24|website=www.govinfo.gov|archive-date=2020-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922231600/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2018-title26/html/USCODE-2018-title26-subtitleE-chap51-subchapA-partI-subpartC-sec5041.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In much of the U.S. and Canada, the fresh variety is often referred to as "apple cider" with "cider" alone referring to the alcoholic variety.

While some states specify a difference between apple juice and cider, the distinction is not well established across the U.S. [[Massachusetts]] makes an attempt to at least differentiate fresh raw cider and processed, cooked apple juice; according to its Department of Agricultural Resources,
<blockquote>
apple juice and apple cider are both fruit beverages made from apples, but there is a difference between the two. Fresh cider is raw apple juice that has not undergone a filtration process to remove coarse particles of pulp or sediment. Apple juice is juice that has been cooked and filtered to remove solids, and pasteurized so that it will stay fresh longer. Vacuum sealing and additional filtering extend the shelf life of apple juice.<ref name="mass">{{cite web|title=Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources|url=http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/cider_juice_difference.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040821083507/http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/cider_juice_difference.htm|archive-date=August 21, 2004}}</ref>
</blockquote>
This still leaves unfiltered apple juice that is no longer raw in a gray area, presumably cider but not labeled as such. The addition of sweeteners or reconstitution from concentrate are left even grayer.

Canada recognizes unfiltered, unsweetened apple juice as cider, fresh or not.<ref name="can">{{cite web|title=Unpasteurized fruit juices|url=http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/facts-faits/unpast_fruit_juices-jus_fruits_cidre_nonpast-eng.php|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606082928/http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/facts-faits/unpast_fruit_juices-jus_fruits_cidre_nonpast-eng.php|archive-date=June 6, 2008|access-date=2015-05-09|publisher=Hc-sc.gov}}</ref>

==Natural cider==
Historically all cider was left in its natural state, raw and unprocessed. In time, airborne yeasts present on apple skins or cider making machinery would start fermentation in the finished cider. Left on its own, alcohol would develop and forestall growth of harmful bacteria. When modern refrigeration emerged, cider and other fruit juices could be kept cold or frozen for long periods of time, slowing down fermentation. Any interruption of the refrigeration, however, could allow bacterial contamination to grow. Outbreaks of illness resulted in some state government regulations requiring any commercially produced cider to be treated either with heat or UV radiation.

As a result, natural raw cider is a specialty seasonal beverage, produced on-site at [[orchard]]s and small rural mills in apple growing areas and sold there, at [[farmers markets]], and some [[juice bar]]s. Such traditional cider is typically made from a mixture of several different apples to give a balanced taste. Frequently blends of [[Heirloom plant|heirloom]] varieties such as [[Jonathan (apple)|Jonathan]] and [[Winesap]], once among the most sought-after [[cider apple]]s for tangy flavor, are used. Many US states now require that unpasteurized cider have a warning label on the bottle.<ref name="shahidi"/>

Even with refrigeration, raw cider will begin to become slightly carbonated within a few weeks, and eventually become hard cider as the fermentation process continues. Some producers use this fermentation to make hard cider; others carry it further on to [[acetification]] and create artisanal [[apple cider vinegar]].

==Treated cider==
Many commercially produced ciders are pasteurized or have artificial preservatives added which extends their [[shelf life]]; the most common method used is [[pasteurization]],<ref>{{cite web|title=HACCP – 'Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point: Juice HACCP'|url=https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/HazardAnalysisCriticalControlPointsHACCP/JuiceHACCP/default.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801070444/http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/HazardAnalysisCriticalControlPointsHACCP/JuiceHACCP/default.htm|archive-date=2012-08-01|access-date=2015-05-09|publisher=Fda.gov}}</ref> but [[ultraviolet germicidal irradiation|UV irradiation]]<ref name="shahidi">{{cite book|last=Shahidi|first=Fereidoon|title=Quality of Fresh and Processed Foods|location=New York|publisher=Kluwer|year=2004|isbn=0306480719}}{{page?|date=August 2024}}</ref> is also employed.

Pasteurization, which partially cooks the juice, results in some change of the sweetness, body and flavor of the cider;<ref name="shahidi"/> UV radiation has less noticeable effects. Cooking cider and adding chemical preservatives has allowed many ciders to be transported and sold without refrigeration.

Impetus for Federal level regulation began with outbreaks of [[E. coli O157:H7|''E. coli'' O157:H7]] from unpasteurized apple cider and other illnesses caused by contaminated fruit juices in the late 1990s.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kaufman|first=Marjorie|date=1998-10-11|title=Those Quaint Apple Cider Stands Meet Up With the Long Arm of the Law |work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EED8123BF932A25753C1A96E958260|access-date=2010-04-25|archive-date=2007-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219044106/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03EED8123BF932A25753C1A96E958260|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Food and Drug Administration (United States)|U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) made proposals in 1998;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://webarchives.cdlib.org/sw1bc3ts3z/http://ers.usda.gov/publications/foodreview/may1999/frmay99f.pdf|title=USDA Food Safety 'New Juice Regulations Underway'|access-date=2015-05-08|archive-date=2021-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724095243/https://wayback.archive-it.org/5923/20110903152954/http://ers.usda.gov/publications/foodreview/may1999/frmay99f.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Canada began to explore regulation in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/legislation/pol/rev_unpast_juice_policy-rev_politique_jus_non_past_14-09-2000-eng.php|title=Canadian Food Insp. Agency on Unpasteurized Fruit Juice/Cider Products|publisher=Hc-sc.ca|access-date=2015-05-09|date=2000-07-21|archive-date=2008-06-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080607102250/http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/legislation/pol/rev_unpast_juice_policy-rev_politique_jus_non_past_14-09-2000-eng.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

The U.S. regulations were finalized in 2001, with the FDA issuing a rule requiring that juice producers and most large cider producers follow [[Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points]] (HACCP) controls,<ref>{{cite web|title=Federal Register: January 19, 2001, HHS/FDA '21 CFR Part 120 Final Rule'|url=http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr01119a.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213200423/http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/fr01119a.html|archive-date=December 13, 2007}}</ref> using either heat pasteurization, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI), or other proven methods to achieve a 5-[[log reduction]] in pathogens.<ref>{{cite web|title=Log reduction explained|url=http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/a2z-l.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080326002438/http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/a2z-l.html|archive-date=March 26, 2008}}</ref>

Canada, however, relies on a voluntary Code of Practice for manufacturers, voluntary labelling of juice/cider as "Unpasteurized", and an education campaign to inform consumers about the possible health risks associated with the consumption of unpasteurized juice products.<ref name=can/>
{{Clear}}

==Commercial production==
[[Image:Juicing2.jpg|thumb|right|Cidering in a contemporary rural area mill. Custom batches pressed directly to bulk containers on demand.]]

Modern cider making has come a long way from early forms of production that involved a man- or horse-powered crusher. These consisted of a stone or wood trough with a heavy circulating wheel to crush the fruit, and a large manual [[screw press]] to express the juice from the pulp. Straw was commonly used to contain the pulp during pressing, later replaced by coarse cloth. The Palmer Bros. Company, of Cos Cob, CT, made the most popular "modern" rack and cloth press from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, when production shifted to OESCO in Massachusetts. As technology advanced, rotary drum "scratters"{{clarify|date=June 2015}} came into use. Today, nearly all small pressing operations use electric-hydraulic equipment with press cloths and plastic racks in what is commonly called a "rack and cloth press", and electric [[hammermill]] "breakers".

Depending on the varieties of apples and using the optimal extraction methods, it takes about one third of a bushel (10 liters) to make a gallon (3.78 liters) of cider.<ref name=mass/> Apples are washed, cut, and ground into a mash that has the consistency of coarse applesauce. Layers of this mash are then either wrapped in cloth and placed upon wooden or plastic racks where a [[hydraulic press]] then squeezes the layers together, or the mash is distributed onto a continuous [[Belt filter|belt filter press]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.core-equip.com/catalogue/category/1465|title=Core Equipment Belt Presses for the apple Juice, cider and winemaking industries.|publisher=Core-equip.com|access-date=5 March 2014|archive-date=16 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716065407/http://www.core-equip.com/catalogue/category/1465|url-status=live}}</ref> which squeezes the pulp between two permeable belts fed between a succession of rollers that press the juice out of the pulp in a continuous, highly efficient operation. The resulting juice is then stored in refrigerated tanks, pasteurized to kill bacteria and extend shelf life, and bottled and sold as apple cider. The juice may also be fermented to produce [[cider|hard cider]], which then may be further treated by exposure to [[acetobacter]] to produce apple cider vinegar, or distilled to produce apple brandy. The waste left after pressing, known as [[pomace]], is sold for cattle feed.

==Variations==
[[File:Hot cider.jpg|thumb|Hot mulled cider]]

Hot [[mulling spices|mulled]] cider, similar to "[[wassail]]", is a popular autumn and winter beverage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Warm-Up-with-Mulled-Wine-and-Cider/Detail.aspx|title=Warm Up With Mulled Wine & Cider|publisher=Allrecipes.com|access-date=2015-05-09|archive-date=2011-07-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713224017/http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/warm-up-with-mulled-wine-and-cider/detail.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cider is heated to a temperature just below boiling, with [[cinnamon]], [[zest (ingredient)|orange peel]], [[nutmeg]], [[clove]]s, or other [[spice]]s added.

[[Rosé]] apple cider can be obtained using red-fleshed [[applecrab]]s.

"[[Cider doughnut]]s" traditionally used the yeast in raw cider as a [[leavener]]. Today they are sometimes sold at cider mills and roadside stands, though there is no assurance natural cider is used. Visiting apple orchards in the fall for cider, doughnuts, and self-picked apples is a large segment in [[agritourism]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.georgia.org/net/content/go.aspx?s=18348.0.26.3011 |title='Orchard Alley' in Georgia |publisher=Georgia.org |access-date=2015-05-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531194216/http://web.georgia.org/net/content/go.aspx?s=18348.0.26.3011 |archive-date=2009-05-31 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Massachusetts agri-tourism guide|url=http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/agritourism_farms.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040604103012/http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/agritourism_farms.htm|archive-date=June 4, 2004|access-date=2015-05-09|publisher=Mass.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mediacentre.canada.travel/content/travel_story_ideas/fall_apple_picking|title=Orchard tourism in Canada|publisher=Mediacentre.canada.travel|access-date=2015-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130425072656/http://mediacentre.canada.travel/content/travel_story_ideas/fall_apple_picking|archive-date=2013-04-25|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Cultural significance==
Apple cider is the official [[state beverage|beverage]] of the [[U.S. state]] of [[New Hampshire]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/state_beverages.htm|title=Official State Beverages|publisher=Netstate.com|access-date=2015-05-09|archive-date=2015-05-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503094243/http://www.netstate.com/states/tables/state_beverages.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Drink}}
* [[Apple cider cookie]]
* [[List of apple dishes]]
* [[List of hot drinks]]
* [[Must]]
* [[Styre]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/y2515e/y2515e00.htm Principles and practices of small scale fruit juice processing]

{{Halloween}}
{{Thanksgiving}}
{{Christmas}}
{{Apples}}

[[Category:Apple drinks]]
[[Category:Christmas food]]
[[Category:Cider]]
[[Category:Halloween food]]
[[Category:Non-alcoholic drinks]]
[[Category:Thanksgiving food]]