Chinese Peaches
The flat peach of China is perhaps the most unusual and distinctive. It's about the same size as an apple, and the stalk and eye approach so near as to give it the appearance of a ring of flesh, with a stone in the middle. Mr. Braddick described it thus when he presented some to the RHS:
This fruit is very singular; it looks as if it's a peach flattened by pressure at the head and stalk. Its height is about three quarters of an inch, and its diameter about two and a half inches. The head of the fruit looks like a broad and rather hollow pentangular eye; a bit like the crown of a medlar.
The skin colour is pale yellow, mottled or speckled with red on the part exposed to the sun. The flesh is pale yellow, havinmg a beautiful circle of fine red surrounding the stone, and extending far into the fruit. The stone is flatly compressed, small, rough and irregular. The consistence and flavour of the fleash is that of a good melting peach, being sweet and juicy, with a slight bitter aroma.
This peach is cultivated in China, representations of it being seen on the papers and drawings received from that country, and it is well known at Canton, where it is esteemed as a good fruit.
.....taken from "A Description and History of Vegatable Substances used in The Arts and in Domestic Economy; Timber Trees ; Fruits", by Charles Knight, Pall Mall East; pub. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green, Paternoster Row. 1829.
Paraphrased by Nigel Deacon / Diversity website
