The peach is a tree that was originally native to north-western China which has been cultivated since around 2,000 BC. From China, it spread westwards to Persia and then to Greece by Alexander the Great following his conquest of Persia. It continued to spread westwards and was transported to the Americas by the Spanish in the 16th century. Today, peaches are grown in many different countries, although China is still, by far, the largest producer of them.
The peach fruit itself, also called a peach, have white or yellow flesh, which is the part eaten. They have a stone (the seed) inside that either sticks to the flesh - a clingstone - or is easy to remove - a freestone. The skin of a peach is covered with a light fuzz. Nectarines, which are actually a peach rather than being a distinct different fruit, instead have a smooth skin.
The peach, like many fruit, contains many useful vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The seed, though, is less good for you, being toxic with the chance of producing the dangerous hydrogen cyanide gas. So, eat a peach, but don't eat the stone.
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