Eponymous Foods: Fruits

Summary

Stuff You Missed in History Class Episode: Eponymous Foods: Fruits Release Date: April 28, 2025

Hosts: Holly Fry and Tracy V. Wilson

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Introduction to Eponymous Fruits

In this engaging episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class, hosts Holly Fry and Tracy V. Wilson delve into the fascinating histories behind some of the most beloved fruits named after individuals. Highlighting the intricate stories of boysenberries, Bartlett pears, and clementines, Holly and Tracy explore how these fruits became staples in American agriculture and cuisine.

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Boysenberries: From Orphan to Orchard

Origins and Creation

The episode begins with the story of Charles Rudolph “Rudy” Boysen, born on July 14, 1895, in Lagrange, California. Rudy's passion for horticulture led him to experiment with cross-pollinating various berry species. Tracy shares, “[...] when some of his berry vines cross-pollinated in 1923, he recognized that the resulting fruit was something unique and very delicious” (06:02).

Collaboration and Commercialization

Despite Rudy's efforts, including reaching out to the USDA's George M. Darrow, his boysenberry remained relatively obscure until Walter Knott, founder of Knott's Berry Farm, took notice. Tracy explains, “Knott was able to locate Rudy's abandoned vines and propagate a hundred vines [...] Knott was the one to give the fruit the name Boysenberry” (11:09). However, Rudy never profited significantly from his creation, as Walter Knott capitalized on the boysenberry’s popularity.

Legacy and Preservation

Rudy continued his work with the Anaheim parks department until his untimely death in 1950. The boysenberry's legacy persisted through Rudy’s family and dedicated growers like his granddaughter, Jeanette Boysen Fitzgerald, who established Boysenberry Farm in Orland, California. Tracy notes, “Jeanette and her husband were able to take clippings from the original plant and propagate them, eventually opening a vineyard, Boysenberry Farm, where the vines thrive today” (14:01).

Notable Quote:

"Boysenberries are excellent for baking and for preserves. That's probably how most people first encounter them." — Tracy V. Wilson (06:54)

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Bartlett Pear: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Enoch Bartlett’s Contribution

The Bartlett pear, a beloved fruit in the United States, was named after Enoch Bartlett, a merchant born in 1779 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Tracy clarifies, “[...] Enoch Bartlett was very interested in fruit trees and actively produced and cultivated the Bartlett pear” (19:27).

The Naming Mix-Up

Despite being widely known as the Bartlett pear in the U.S., the fruit originally hailed from Europe, where it was known as the Williams Good Christian or Stairs' Pearl. Tracy reveals, “The Bartlett pear was not a Bartlett at all, but a variety called a Williams Bon Chretienne” (23:19). This naming confusion persisted in America due to Bartlett’s strong reputation, while Europe continued to call it by its original name.

Cultural Impact and Modern Perception

The Bartlett pear remained a favorite among American growers and consumers, with its popularity documented as early as 1921. However, it wasn't until the late 20th century that the discrepancy in naming was widely recognized. Today, the Bartlett pear is celebrated for its versatility in both fresh consumption and culinary applications.

Notable Quote:

"The Bartlett pear was named after Enoch Bartlett, who nurtured it and started actively producing and cultivating the fruit." — Tracy V. Wilson (19:27)

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Clementines: The Mysterious Monk and the Sweet Citrus

Brother Clement’s Role

Clementines, beloved for their sweet taste and easy-to-peel skin, are often attributed to Brother Marie Clement Rodier, a French monk. Holly explains, “Clementine [...] was bestowed on the fruit by a botanist named Louis Charles Trabou” (33:27). However, the true origins of the clementine are shrouded in mystery, with evidence suggesting possible Chinese origins dating back hundreds of years.

Naming and Hybridization

While Algeria claims the clementine's birthplace, genetic studies indicate that they may have originated in China. The name “clementine” was likely a tribute to Brother Clement, though the exact nature of his involvement remains unclear. Tracy adds, “Clement Rodier died in late 1904, not long before clementines made their way to North America” (34:27).

Introduction to the United States

Clementines were introduced to the U.S. in the early 20th century, with the first trees planted in Brooksville, Florida, in 1909. Despite early introductions, it wasn’t until a severe freeze in Florida in 1997 that clementines became widely popular in the American market, filling the gap left by damaged citrus crops.

Modern Popularity and Market Trends

Today, clementines are recognized as a luxury citrus fruit, particularly favored by higher-income households. Tracy notes, “32% of households that bring in more than a six-figure income are eating clementines and mandarins” (37:25).

Notable Quote:

“It's a small citrus, like an orange, but it's a whole lot sweeter and perfect for kids.” — Holly Fry (31:32)

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Listener Mail: Addressing Past Content

Toward the episode's conclusion, Holly and Tracy address listener feedback regarding a previous discussion about Gertrude Chandler Warner and the Golliwog character. Susan, a listener, pointed out the racist implications of the Golliwog caricature used in Warner’s early works. Holly responds with appreciation and clarification, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and correcting such historical inaccuracies.

Notable Quote:

“If you're gonna mention it in your podcast, you probably wanna also let people know that this may have been used innocently by Warner, but is a racist caricature.” — Listener Susan (38:51)

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Conclusion

In this episode, Holly and Tracy expertly navigate the complex histories behind eponymous fruits, uncovering the personal stories and societal impacts that shaped their legacies. From Rudy Boysen’s passion project to Enoch Bartlett’s unintended renaming mishap and the enigmatic origins of clementines, the duo provides listeners with a rich tapestry of historical insights that deepen the appreciation for these everyday fruits.

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Notable Timestamps:

• Boysenberries Creation: 04:54
• Knott’s Role in Boysenberry Propagation: 11:09
• Bartlett Pear Naming Confusion: 23:19
• Clementine Origins and Naming: 33:27
• Listener Mail on Golliwog: 38:51

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Stuff You Missed in History Class continues to deliver captivating historical narratives, making the past accessible and engaging for all listeners. Be sure to subscribe and stay tuned for more intriguing episodes.

Transcript

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[Holly Fry]

Welcome to Stuff youf Missed in History Class, a production of iHeartRadio. Hello and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly Fry.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And I'm Tracy V. Wilson.

[Holly Fry]

We haven't had an eponymous foods episode in a minute, and I just felt like it. Um, it's kind of like that thing that we've talked about before where when I do really, really dark stories, it's probably because I'm in such a good place mentally and emotionally that they're not a problem. And then when I do really light ones, it's because I'm overwhelmed with the world. And so welcome to fruit time.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah, I was. I was talking to some friends of mine and I was like, if you look at our recent episodes, I feel like Holly's and my coping strategies are opposite because Holly's episodes are like strawberries and my episodes are like, we're pouring blood on the draft files.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah. Yeah. If I can spend some time in a. More In a place of levity.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Sure.

[Holly Fry]

I mean, I'm not ignoring all the other stuff.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

No.

[Holly Fry]

But I. I can. I. If I wallow in it, I will. I don't know what will happen. It won't be good. So here we are talking about fruit. This eponymous foods episode kind of dovetails on that strawberry episode because it is all fruit. So we have a berry in this one, a poem, and a citrus. They all have varying degrees of documentation. One of them includes a naming Whoopsie Daisy, that I find oddly amusing and just hilarious. And we'll get to all of that.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah, I only knew one of these was an eponym, and it was not the first one. Charles Rudolph boysen was born July 14, 1895 in Lagrange, California. That's a little more than 30 miles due east of Modesto. Some write ups indicate that he was an immigrant from Sweden, but that appears to be incorrect. His father was from Germany, which might be something that's been confused in the retelling of this story. In his early life, post school Rudy, as he was called, enlisted and served in World War I. And when he got home from the war, he moved to Combsville, California in Napa and worked as a farmhand. And it's there that he started experimenting with cross pollinating berries.

[Holly Fry]

So the exact nature of how he got his original berry is a little bit lost, because this story has been shared through oral history over the years rather than through any notes. Or documentation on Boysen's part. It's been told in some different ways. So some suggest that he, he was purposely combining berries through cross pollination. Others suggest it may have been a happy accident of having just planted different berries near one another. And it is actually highly likely that there was something in between. Boysen was very good with plants and he was also a hobbyist, so he may have just been trying things out without really having an idea of an end goal. His wife told reporters almost a decade after his death. He did it just for fun. He sprinkled Himalaya BlackBerry bush with pollen from various related berries and got the boysenberry. But what matters most is that when some of his berry vines cross pollinated in 1923, he recognized that the resulting fruit was something unique and very delicious.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Boysenberries are considered to be a type of BlackBerry, and like the BlackBerry, it's a bramble fruit, which just means it comes from a shrub style plant that can be thorny or bristly. Like our recent topic, the strawberry. It's part of the rose family and it's a dark, reddish black color and full of flavor. They're usually described as being juicier or sweeter than a BlackBerry, but with a tart note that shines through the sweet. Unfortunately, boysenberries don't have a very long shelf life once they have been picked, so you don't see them in grocery stores for very long. It's usually a very brief window when you can buy them fresh. But they're excellent for baking and for preserves. That's probably how most people first encounter them. It is definitely true that Holly had boysenberry preserves as a kid.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, that was like a big favorite in our house growing up. That's the only way I knew what they were. Numerous berries are often suggested as the likely or possible genetic donors to the hybrid that became the boysenberry, including the loganberry, the European BlackBerry, European raspberry, and American dewberry. And of course, as we mentioned just a moment ago, his widow mentioned the Himalaya BlackBerry. Recent genetic comparisons have led to the theory that it's a cross of a marianberry and loganberry. The vine that produced the berries that Rudy Boysen recognized as new were very hardy. We'll talk about just how hardy in a bit. And the fruit itself was much larger than other berries. He touted it as being as big as a thumb, which was significantly larger than anything on the market in that that type of berry. Boysen contacted the USDA Bureau of Plant Industry and specifically a Man named George M. Darrow, who was in charge of the small fruit division, about this Newberry. But he never received a response, and so he just kind of went on with his life.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Two years after the Berry discovery in 1925, Boysen moved to Anaheim, California. There, he worked on public park projects for the city, planting trees for a new 20 acre green space known simply as City Park. That park would later be renamed Pearson park, which is the name it has today. Eventually, Boysen was made superintendent of the park and was paid $175 a month to care for the new space. Boysen married a woman named Peggy Bruton, and they had one son. After they got married, they moved to a property in Fullerton, California, that was owned by Peggy's mother, and Rudy brought the berry vines right along with him, planting them at their new place. Boysen became well known in Anaheim for his expertise in growing things and even gave talks about plants to community groups, including one called Street Trees and Their Stories, which he shared at the Anaheim Toastmasters club in early 1928.

[Holly Fry]

Another city works project that Boysen was involved with in 1928 was the Green Ification of Anaheim. A write up in the Los Angeles Times from January 22nd of that year reads, quote, Anaheim will plant 4400 trees in city. The planting of 4400 trees by the city within the next few months, in accordance with a program adopted by the city council to make Anaheim one of the most attractive of all southern cities, has been announced. Rudolph Boysen, overseer of the city park, is in charge of the planting early in February. Rudy also combined his plant knowledge with his involvement in the American Legion to initiate a program where he prepared floral arrangements each Memorial Day to be distributed to the grave sites of the city's veterans.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

While Boysen remained an active plant enthusiast for his whole life, he had an injury in 1928 that slowed him down and likely contributed to his berry vines kind of falling by the wayside in terms of being actively cultivated. He had fallen down a fire pole while touring a fire station and he injured his back. This was probably a factor in why he wasn't able to really cultivate his berries much beyond that initial planting. His back issues and other responsibilities might have just prevented it. He had given away a lot of his berry plants over the years to friends and neighbors, so there's no telling how many may have been producing fruit that were never documented.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, but they all came out of this one vine, which he had allegedly planted. It's often described as in a ditch. On his mother in law's property. Years after Boysen had written to George Darrow at the usda. Darrow found those letters and he became intrigued about this thumb sized berry that was described in them. So Barrow decided to find Rudy Boysen and his plants to assess them. But as Rudy had moved a couple of times, it just wasn't as simple as going to the return address on the letters. And eventually Barrow enlisted the help of another man with a name that is easily recognizable in the berry game, that is Walter Knott.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Knott was able to locate Bon's abandoned vines that had been planted in a ditch on the Fullerton property and not relocated the plants to his own property to try to get them back to a more robust state. Not was able to propagate a hundred vines from the plans that he had collected in Fullerton. They became hearty producers of the berry Boysen had cultivated. Knott was the one to give the fruit the name Boysenberry. But he didn't really cut the fruit's namesake in on the profits that he made from it. Knott's berry farm was made possible in part by the money that Walter Knott made from boysenberry sales.

[Holly Fry]

Rudy continued to work for the parks department and per the accounts of family members, he did not harbor any resentment toward knotted. He focused on his work in Anaheim, establishing new parks and keeping the existing green spaces filled with healthy flora. Over time he aged and his health declined and he eventually had mobility issues due to a health condition that led to the loss of one of his legs. He died at the age of 55 on November 25th of 1950. But he had worked for the city right up until the end of his life.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

All indications are that Rudy was beloved by the city of Anaheim. His death was reported in the papers beyond merely an announcement or an obituary, with many noting that the chapel where his funeral was held was not big enough for all the people who came to pay their respects and say goodbye to him. Two years after he died, a write up in the Anaheim Gazette noted that a victory garden he had planted at the beginning of World War II for the community and planned out with regular crop rotations to optimize output, was still going strong, including boysenberries cultivated by Rudy at the start of the plot's life. Almost a decade after his death, the city started a week long festival in his name. And to be clear, that festival featured the berries. But it was about Rudy. The LA Times reported on June 14, 1959, quote weak to honor creator of famed boysenberry Rudy's legacy berry has continued.

[Holly Fry]

To have a very busy life. In 1955, one of Rudy's siblings got permission to remove the original vine and bring it back to their home in Merced, California. That plant was very hardy. And then in 1976, that plant, which continued to be very healthy, that's more than 20 years after that moving, was propagated through root division and given from one family member to another in a shoebox. This transfer apparently took place at a wedding. Those shoots that were in the shoebox were planted in Castro Valley, California. They continue to be prosperous there.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Then in 2017, Rudy's granddaughter, Jeanette Boysen Fitzgerald, was able to get access to her grandfather's original boysenberry plant, which continued to survive and produce fruit nearly a hundred years after it originated. Jeanette and her husband were able to take clippings from the original plant and propagate them, eventually opening a vineyard, Boysenberry Farm, in Orland, California, where the vines thrive today. And if you want to own a piece of berry history, you can purchase plants from them that are propagated from the original boysenberry stock. During the height of the pandemic, the farm opened up their property so people could come and pick berries and get some outside time, noting that their rows were planted eight feet apart, so it was a way to enjoy an outing while keeping a safe distance from others. That picking experience has continued in the years since then, lasting several weeks beginning in late May.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, you only get a few weeks a year because of that very short time that they stay fresh. But coming up, we're going to talk about a fruit that had a bit of a naming accident that I referenced at the top of the show. We'll explain after we first pause for a sponsor break.

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[Holly Fry and Maria Tremarchi]

Explore the winding halls of historical true crime with Holly Fry and Maria Tremarchi, hosts of Criminalia, as they uncover curious cases from the past. The legend of the Highwayman suggests men dominated the field, but tell that to Lady Catherine Ferrers, known as the wicked lady who terrorized England in the mid-1600s. Her legend persists nearly 400 years after her death. Hear the story of the Gentleman Robber, the romantic darling of the ladies, and a tale about a wager over a sack of potatoes. But you'll have to tune in to learn who won that one. Some highwaymen were well mannered or faked it. People were concerned about the romanticism of robbers, but most were just thugs. Highwaymen are in the hot seat this season. Call them robbers or bandits, some are legendary figures. Listen to stories about historical crimes on Criminalia now, plus the cocktails and mocktails inspired by each. Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Clayton English and Greg Lodd]

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lodd, and this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Sir, we are back in a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This is kind of star studded a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.

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[Holly Fry]

The Bartlett Pear has long been a favorite in the United States. It's a good Canning pear. It's excellent for eating ripe, and it also bakes up beautifully. In 1921 up Hendrick wrote of the Bartlett quote, bartlett leads all other pears in number of trees in New York and vies with Kiefer for the greatest number in America. Its fruits are more common and more popular in American markets than those of any other pair when the characters of the variety are passed in review. Although several poor ones of fruit and tree appear, the popularity of Bartlett with growers and sellers, if not with consumers, seems justified. But the story of this particular fruit's name is a little wonky, and it involves a case of mistaken originality.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

In an entry in the 1892 book the Bartletts Ancestral Genealogical, Biographical, Historical, comprising an account of the American progenitors of the Bartlett family, with special reference to the descendants of John Bartlett of Weymouth and Cumberland. There's an entry for Enoch Bartlett which reads, quote, Enoch Bartlett, who died in 1860, was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1779. He was a merchant in the truest meaning of the word, and was an extensive importer of foreign merchandise during the troublous 1812 period when merchants suffered heavy losses by the depredations of the enemy on the seas. He it was after whom the favorite Bartlett pear was named.

[Holly Fry]

Enoch did not cultivate that pear, he found it. In 1817 he had acquired an estate that had been previously owned by a man named Thomas Brewer. Brewer had a number of fruit bearing trees growing on the property, and Enoch Bartlett was very interested in them. One of the trees produced a pear unlike any that Bartlett had ever seen before. So he nurtured it and he started actively producing and cultivating the fruit, and because he didn't know anybody else who was growing that same pear, he named it after himself.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

An 1832 write up in the New England Farmer, which also appeared in numerous other places, describes a horticultural festival that was staged in honor of the anniversary of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. This event included a lecture on entomology which talked about pests in the garden, and it also featured a fruit and flower display where members could share the literal fruits of their labors. Listed among them are Enoch Bartlett's Bartlett and Capumot pears, which are rated in the mention as very fine. Bartlett did not only cultivate pears, there are many mentions in local papers in the 1800s of the many varieties of apples he produced, which seem to have been universally recognized for high quality as well as nectarines and peaches. So he had a very good reputation.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, he was a fruit man that people trusted. In 1848, the newly formed American Pomological Society, which is now the oldest fruit organization in North America, included the Bartlett pear in its catalog of fruits available on the North American continent. It described the Bartlett tree. This tree, medium in size, tall, piriform, upright, hardy, very productive branches, stocky, smooth, reddish brown, overlaid with an ash gray scarf, skin with few lenticels, branchlets short with short internodes, reddish brown, glossy, smooth, glabrous with conspicuous lenticles. And the fruit of the tree was written up as skin thin, tender, smooth, often dull, the surface somewhat uneven color clear yellow with a faint blush on the exposed cheek, more or less dotted with russet and often thinly russeted. Around the basin dots many small conspicuous greenish russet flesh, fine grained, although slightly granular at the center, melting, buttery, very juicy Venus aromatic quality very good.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

But Even before that 1848 write up, there had been a realization. In 1828, a fresh shipment of fruit trees from Europe arrived in New England. And among them was a pear tree that was just like the Bartlett in every respect, and it bore identical fruit to the Bartlett record scratch. The Bartlett pear was not a Bartlett at all, but a variety called a Williams Bon Chretienne or Williams Good Christian.

[Holly Fry]

The Williams Good Christian was also not the first name that that pear tree had. It was first known in England as a Stairs Pearl. That's because the first person who actually discovered it first, at least to the best of our knowledge, was a schoolteacher by the name of stair. And Mr. Stair found this pair. In 1765, the stair pair was acquired by a nurseryman named Williams, who distributed it in England as the Williams Pear or Williams bon Chretienne.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

In 1799, an importer in the US named James Carter had several of the Williams pears shipped across the Atlantic to be planted on the Roxbury Mountain, Massachusetts estate of Thomas Brewer. And it was that estate that Enoch bartlett purchased in 1817. I just want to say, in case other Massachusetts people, Roxbury is not next to Haverhill. That's not really what that original biographical thing was saying.

[Holly Fry]

That's where he was born, right?

[Tracy V. Wilson]

That's not where the trees were, is what I'm saying.

[Holly Fry]

Correct. But this is a case where that revelation of the pair's real name, which is funny because people knew initially when they brought the pair over that it was a Williams, but that information got lost. It had no impact on the pair's name in the US because by the time this mistake was uncovered so many people had been growing and purchasing and eating Bartlett pears because of Enoch Bartlett's reputation that everybody just kind of stuck with it. But in Europe it is still called a Williams pair. So if you're from one place or the other and you're traveling, if you see a Williams or Bartlett pear on the menu in a market and it's not the one you call it, it's the same thing. It's the same pear.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

We are about to talk about our final eponymous fruit, but before we do, we will hear from some of the sponsors that keep our show going.

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[T-Mobile Advertiser]

News T Mobile Network outperforms expectations in all sectors because T Mobile helps keep you connected from the heart of Portland to right where you are on America's largest 5G network. Switch now. Keep your phone and T Mobile will pay it off up to $800 per line via prepaid card. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com KeepAndSwitch up to 4 lines via virtual prepaid card. Allow 15 days qualifying unlock device, credit service report in 90 days device and eligible carrier and timely redemption required. Card is no cash access and expires in six months.

[Holly Fry and Maria Tremarchi]

Explore the winding halls of historical true crime with Holly Fry and Maria Tremarchi, hosts of Criminalia, as they uncover curious cases from the past. The legend of the Highwayman suggests men dominated the field, but tell that to Lady Catherine Ferrers, known as the wicked lady who terrorized England in the mid-1600s. Her legend persists nearly 400 years after her death. Hear the story of the Gentleman Robber, the romantic darling of the ladies, and a tale about a wager over a sack of potatoes. But you'll have to tune in to learn who won that one. Some highwaymen were well mannered or faked it. People were concerned about the romanticism of robbers, but most were just thugs. Highwaymen are in the hot seat this season. Call them robbers or bandits, some are legendary figures. Listen to stories about historical crimes on Criminalia now, plus the cocktails and mocktails inspired by each listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Clayton English and Greg Lodd]

I'm Clayton English. I'm Greg Lott and this is season two of the War on Drugs podcast. Sir, we are back in a big way. In a very big way. Real people, real perspectives. This kind of starts that it a little bit, man. We got Ricky Williams, NFL player, Heisman Trophy winner.

[Holly Fry]

It's just the compassionate choice to allow players all reasonable means to care for themselves.

[Clayton English and Greg Lodd]

Music stars Marcus King, John Osborne from Brothers Osborne.

[Holly Fry]

We have this misunderstanding of what this quote unquote drug thing is.

[Clayton English and Greg Lodd]

Benny the Butcher, Brent Smith from Shinedown, Got be real from Cypress Hill, NHL enforcer Riley Cote, Marine Corps vet, MMA fighter Liz Caramouche.

[Roku Advertiser]

What we're doing now isn't working and.

[Holly Fry]

We need to change that things. Stories matter and it brings a face to them.

[Clayton English and Greg Lodd]

It makes it real. It really does.

[Holly Fry]

It makes it real.

[Clayton English and Greg Lodd]

Listen to new episodes of the War on Drugs Podcast Season 2 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And to hear episodes one week early and ad free with exclusive content, subscribe to Lava for Good plus on Apple Podcast.

[Holly Fry]

Okay, our next food starts with a man whose name will in no way tip you off to the fruit that is named for him. Sometimes this is considered a technicality because he did go through a name change. We'll talk about it. Vital Rodier was born on May 25, 1839 in southern France in a town called Chambon sur d'lr. There isn't a lot of ready information about his early life, but we do know that as an adult he joined the Order of Brothers of the Annunciation, and when he joined the order, he took the name of Brother Marie Clement. Sometimes just going by Clement.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Brother Clement was sent to Algeria to work in the orphanage that his order ran there in the town of Misergan. That's in the Oran province on the north coast of the country, just across the Albaran Sea from Spain. This was not long after France had colonized Algeria, which happened in 1830. At the beginning of 1830, Algeria was part of the Ottoman Empire, ruled by a sultan headquartered in Constantinople. Tunisia and Tripoli were also under the Sultan's umbrella of power, although the real day to day rule of each country was carried out by their own regents.

[Holly Fry]

But several Years earlier, in 1827, Algeria and France became embroiled in a feud after the Algerian region known as the Day slapped a visiting French consul with a flyswatter. That slap did not come out of nowhere. France was deeply in debt to Algeria and had been really dragging on repayment. But that slap gave France the sense of outrage that made a conquest of this country seem justified. The actual military conflict that took place after the French landed on July 5th of 1830 was extremely short because Algeria really did not have the means to fight back. So the day cut a deal with the French to go into exile, and the Europeans immediately moved in, including setting up monasteries and religious centers to try to convert the Muslim population to Christianity. And that is how brother Marie Clement landed there.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Clement's exact interaction with the citrus trees and their fruit that would eventually bear his name is largely a matter of lore. Did he discover the fruit? Did he cultivate it through crossbreeding? We really have no idea, Although there are definitely versions of the story that paint a quaint picture of a French monk tending his grove of citrus on the northern coast of Africa. When did it happen? Also no clue. Well, some clue. We have a window. Clement got to Algeria in 1892, and the fruit is a matter of record 10 years later in 1902. So somewhere during that decade.

[Holly Fry]

So a clementine, or clementine, as it was surely called initially, and we will get to who named it that in just a moment, is a small citrus. It's like an orange, but it's a whole lot sweeter. The size and flavor make clementines very popular as snacks for kids. They're also really easy to peel, and they don't have seeds. So again, kid friendly. They tend to be more oval shaped rather than spherical. That's probably also one of the things that makes them easy for little hands to handle and peel. And another big draw for them is that they generally harvest later than oranges. So they fill this gap where fresh citrus would normally not be available. They're sometimes called Christmas oranges for this reason. So you're looking at like an autumn into early winter harvest. There are actually dozens of clementine varieties, According to a 2007 interview with Tracy Kahn, curator of the Citrus Variety collection at the University of California, Riverside. That interview appeared in the Cape Cod Times.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

I had one with my breakfast. Delicious. Although it did have a couple of seeds in it. Yeah.

[Holly Fry]

Gasp.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

It was believed for a while that clementines were a cross between a tangerine and an ornamental bitter orange known as citrus aurantium. But today they're considered to be a type of mandarin orange, usually a mandarin crossed with another sweet orange to create a fruit that's smaller than other mandarin oranges. Enter another kind of hazy Bit of drama. There's a fairly high degree of probability that clementines actually originated in China and were hybridized there. And that likely happened hundreds of years before any involvement of any French monks in Northern Africa. But like the purported Algerian origins, there's not any solid information.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, Algeria definitely claims to be the birthplace, but so do some areas in China. The important thing is we all get delicious fruit and plenty of vitamin C. But the name Clementine, Clementine, which is based on Clement, which was not the monk's original name, but was the one he took when he took orders, was bestowed on the fruit by a botanist. That was a man named Louis Charles Trabou, who was assigned to the French Agricultural Society in Algeria. He also was making a general study of plants in Algeria. But once again, we are met with a mystery. Did Brother Clement bring this fruit to Trabu's attention? The monk was clearly associated with it, but we don't know what transpired there. And the clementine, According to the 2007 book A History by Pierre Laszlo, won a gold medal from the Agricultural Society right after Trebu mentions it. So that is yet another mystery.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

As for Brother Clement, he became a Spiritan in 1903. That's a religious order of the Catholic Church which was founded in 1703. It focuses on working with the poor and with marginalized communities. And that may actually be the origin point of some of the clementine lore. It seems that a paper was published in a spirit and periodical, and that may be where other biographies are getting their information regarding the story of Brother Clement and his little oranges. Holly was not able to get a copy of this to check. Clement Rodier died in late 1904.

[Holly Fry]

That was, incidentally his death not long before clementines made their way to North America as a crop. They reportedly came to the US in 1909, and they were imported initially to Florida and then also to California. So the two big citrus growers. A 1937 newspaper article that ran in multiple papers claimed that the very first clementine planted in the US Was in Brooksville, Florida. That write up read, quote, the parent tree of all clementine orange trees in this country thrives in Chinzigat Hill, Brooksville, home of Colonel and Mrs. Raymond Robbins at the approximate age of 20 years. That article goes on to explain that Dr. Walter T. Swingle of the US Department of Agriculture received a gift of budwood from Louis Charles Trabou himself, and that the tree in the Robbins yard was that very gift.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Clementines didn't exactly catch on in an especially big way in the US and there weren't a lot of clementines grown in comparison to other citrus crops. For example, a newspaper out of Bryan, Texas reported in the autumn of 1932 that a new type of orange was being grown in the area. And that article had to explain what a clementine was noting. Quote the clementine orange, also known as an Algerian tangerine, is an early maturing kid glove orange of hybrid orange. Supposedly a cross between a sour orange and a tangerine, the fruit becomes edible about the last week of October and is past its prime by January 1. The quality of the fruit is excellent, the strong flavor characteristic of the common tangerine being totally absent. The size is small, 1 1/2 to 2 inches, but the skin is very thin and the core inconspicuous.

[Holly Fry]

But even with a lot of write ups appearing telling consumers that clementines were delicious and that we're all going to start growing them, they really didn't experience a surge in popularity in the US for decades. And the eventual surge was the result of an especially bad winter. In 1997, Florida had an unusually bad freeze that destroyed most of its citrus production for the year. And to fill the empty produce sections, clementines were imported from Spain and Algeria.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

And from there, clementines have had a steady increase in popularity here. In 2007, that was the first year the US government tracked clementines as a separate entity from other citrus. Before that, it had fallen under a blanket category that grouped the less popular citrus types together. But that year, an estimated 135,000 tons of clementines were produced in the US and according to the American Farm Bureau federation report from 2023, while citrus production overall in the US has faltered significantly in recent years, the only citrus fruit category to show a clear increase in production is the tangerine category, which includes tangelos, mandarins, clementines, and traditional tangerines. But they're clearly seen to a degree as a more luxury choice when it comes to the produce selection. According to the Packer, which is part of the Farm Journal Incorporated, clementines have primarily caught on with higher income households. With 32% of households that bring in more than a six figure income eating clementines and mandarins, whereas only 15% of consumers who earn less than $25,000 are purchasing the tiny citrus. It's not exactly surprising, but it does put the status of clementine's rising popularity in perspective.

[Holly Fry]

And perhaps all because of a monk question mark. Fruit man, I have a listener mail. Yeah, which is a reference to our Gertrude Chandler Werner episode from our listener, Susan who writes. Hello, Tracy and Holly. I really enjoy listening to your podcast. I learn something new each time I listen. And I love the way you present history in such a lively manner. I was interested in your recent podcast about the author Gertrude Warner and the Boxcar Children books. You discuss her use of a Golliwog character in the children's books. By the way, that was only in one book that she wrote when she was nine years old, not other children's books. Susan writes, I wanted to let you know that the Golliwog is a racist caricature of someone who is of African descent. And then they send the Wikipedia link. Susan says, I grew up in England as a child and there was a children's show called Naughty in it. The Golliwog was a caricature of a black person that lived in the woods and often created mischief. Even as a child. I thought of it as racist and distasteful. Many Americans are not familiar with the Golliwog, but I do think if you're gonna mention it in your podcast, you probably wanna also let people know that this may have been used innocently by Warner, but is a racist caricature. Thank you so much, Susan. Thank you so much, Susan. I didn't know that.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. On following the link and all of that, I have seen that visual stereotypical image before.

[Holly Fry]

Exactly. But I didn't have that word attached to it.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Yeah. Had never connected it with the word Golliwog and just thought it was like a weird sing songy children fantasy name.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, same, same.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Now I know.

[Holly Fry]

So, yeah. Just to be clear, in case anybody hasn't read Boxcar Children and doesn't know it does not appear in those books. It's literally just that one story that she wrote when she was 9, kind.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Of basing it off a different.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah, there was a series of books that became popular in the US That Gollywog was part of. Remember that was the book that she churned out really quickly. Cause she had lied to her mom that she was writing a book.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

She was writing a book when she was really spending too much time playing Tea Party.

[Holly Fry]

Yeah. And then she had to quickly produce results.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Right.

[Holly Fry]

So there's probably a little plagiarism in the mix as well. But it's a nine year old, so we cut her some slack. But I'm very, very glad to know that. So thank you for bringing it to our attention, Susan. If you would like to write to us, you can do so at history [e-mail] you can also subscribe to the show on the iheartradio app or anywhere you listen to your favorite shows.

[Tracy V. Wilson]

Stuff youf Missed in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.

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[John O'Brien]

70% of Americans are living from paycheck to paycheck. Not black people, not brown people, everybody. And whether you're white, black, red, brown or yellow, you want to see some more green. Can I get an amen? Hey, this is Financial Literacy Awareness Month. Tune in to Money and Wealth with John O'Brien, a podcast that breaks down financial freedom in a way that's real, relatable and rooted in empowerment. From rebuilding your credit to starting your wealth journey, I give you all the tools to rise. I'm going to break down how the modern economy works. This is what they never taught you in school. You're not not dumb and you're not stupid. It's what you don't know that you don't know is killing you, but you think you know. To hear this and more practical wisdom, open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Money and Wealth with John O'Brien and start listening today.

[Black Tech Green Money Host]

If money is a taboo topic and nobody wants to talk about it, how can we be educated on something we're unwilling to talk about? April is Financial Literacy Month. Black Tech Green Money is where culture meets capital. 8 week as sit down with black entrepreneurs and leaders to share their blueprint for building generational wealth through tech innovation and ownership. Once we know more, we can have more. One thing we tell our clients is the more that you learn, the more that you earn. But you have to be willing to learn to hear this and more game changing insight. Listen to Black Tech Green Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry and Maria Tremarchi]

Explore the winding halls of historical true crime with Holly Fry and Maria Tremarke, hosts of Criminalia, as they uncover curious cases from the past. The legend of the Highwayman suggests men dominated the field. But tell that to Lady Catherine Ferrers. Known as the wicked lady who terrorized England in the mid-1600s, her legend persists nearly 400 years after her death. Highwaymen are in the hot seat this season. Find more crime and cocktails on Criminalia. Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.