Applesauce

Applesauce is a smooth, spoonable puree of cooked apples, pale golden and glossy. It tastes mildly sweet with gentle tartness and a soft, spreadable texture; cooks often season it with cinnamon. Use it alongside pork or potato pancakes, swirl into yogurt or oatmeal, or fold into batters as a moisture source; it is sold in jars, cups, and pouches.\n\nIt developed in Europe where stewed fruit sauces accompanied roasted meats, and it spread across North America with orchard cultivation. German, Central European, and American cuisines feature it widely; commercial production cooks and mills apples before optional sweetening or spicing.