My friend told me her mom was allergic to apples. I had never heard of someone being allergic to apples, to me they seemed like one of the most bland fruits. I had heard of people being allergic to strawberries before. Anyway I thought my friend was exaggerating but then I met her mom and she said her lips stung and swelled if she even touched an apple to her lips. What a shame. Thankfully I am not allergic to fruits but I am on a low acid diet for a bladder problem, so I have to limit my fruit consumption to certain ones. I cheat but not excessively.

As a life long allergy sufferer, I'm always interested in learning more on the topic. The following is from a Web MD link:

In oral allergy syndrome, your immune system treats proteins similar to those in pollen that are sometimes found in fruits or vegetables the same way. It's as if it says, "Close enough!" and attacks it. That's called cross-reactivity.

Foods to Watch Out For

Ragweed Allergy: "Ragweed, in theory, cross-reacts with bananas and melons, so people with ragweed allergies may react to honeydew, cantaloupe, and watermelons, or tomatoes," says Warren V. Filley, MD, from the Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic in Oklahoma City.

Zucchini, sunflower seeds, dandelions, chamomile tea, and echinacea also go on that list.

Birch Pollen Allergy: People with birch pollen allergies may react to kiwi, apples, pears, peaches, kiwi, plums, coriander, fennel, parsley, celery, cherries, carrots, hazelnuts, and almonds.

Grass Allergy: People with grass allergy may react to peaches, celery, tomatoes, melons, and oranges, according to the AAAAI.

Latex Rubber Allergy: Like pollen allergy, people allergic to latex rubber may react to bananas, avocados, kiwi, chestnut, and papaya.

My allergies include bananas and plums. BUT if you give me most melons, especially cantaloupe or honeydew, my throat itches. I hadn't known about the connection to melon's but I don't like how Kiwi's make my mouth feel. If I sample too many different fruits-- say at the Farmer's Market, I might feel a histamine reaction somewhere on my body. Sigh...

I knew about strawberry allergies because I offered strawberry ice cream to someone who said she could not have it. I had also heard about the latex rubber connection, which seemed a bit odd to me, but then there is a lot I do not understand about this, but I am trying to learn.

My grandson has peanut and egg allergy. He used to be allergic to all tree nuts, but outgrew it about age 4. When he was little they warned us off of seafood, strawberries and kiwi, three of the more common food allergies. (He was so little when tested, there wasn't enough space on his back to test everything, so they just said to avoid those 3 things until he was older and could be tested).

Yes, Oral Allergy Syndrome - my husband feels like his throat is closing up - he can eat citrus, grapes, and watermelon, but not apples, pears, peaches, etc, unless they are cooked. My daughter has it too - kiwi, pineapple and apples are the worst for her. They also have trouble with raw carrots but can eat them cooked.

From Livestrong website:Carrots don't make the list of the top six allergy-inducing foods, but some people are allergic to them. People with allergies to carrots typically are also allergic to birch tree pollen, because the proteins in raw carrots are similar to those in birch tree pollen. Cooking destroys those proteins, making carrots safe for most people with carrot allergies to consume.

Great post Elba and NG. Now that I think of it, my friend said her mom could eat applesauce but not apples. That didn't make sense to me at the time, but now that I see the explanation, it makes sense, chemistry-wise.

I have a friend who has a contact allergy with apples. If she handles them, like peeling them, she gets an awful rash.

Lars, that's a beautiful tart. Like your boss, though, I'd have to go big for the challah, that sounds delicious.

I can eat kiwi, but it makes my mouth sore, as does pomegranate and pineapple if I eat a lot of it. My mouth will become intensely sore, so sore I can't chew or swallow, but when I stop eating the fruit (pomegranate is the worst) all symptoms go away in about a half an hour or so. It's odd, I know.

My Mother is allergic to lemons and my brother can't eat any citrus fruit or he gets mouth sores. I don't think we are allergic to anything else, though.

Annie