Question
What was the “fruit” that Adam and Eve ate?
Answer
The Talmud (Berachos 40a; Sanhedrin 70a-b) records three opinions about it. According to R.Meir, it was grapes; according to R.Yehudah, wheat; according to R.Nehemiah, figs. The idea that it was an apple is first found in Christian sources; see Ginsburg, Legends of the Jews, Vol.5, pp.97-98 for references. See also the Targum on Shir Ha-Shirim 2:3 and 7:9, which refers to “the apples of the garden of Eden”, but doesn’t mention Adam and Eve.