I’ve been wondering... Is Appletun’s body actually edible? Or is it a deceptive shell of sorts? Haven’t actually met one, so I haven’t had the chance to see for myself... Not that I’d eat it or anything if that actually is true. Asking you this since I have heard rumours that back in the day people actually WOULD eat them. Horrible thought. If you don’t know then that’s completely fine! Sorry for wasting your time Professor!
Actually, in a way, its both!
Appletun actually sheds the ‘skin’ on its back near constantly, as well as secrete a rather sweet ‘nectar’! Both of these are edible, and rather sweet. In the wild, they’re sometimes picked off by larger Pokemon who catch an Appletun, but more often its a way to lure in Bug Pokemon for Appletun to eat; despite how they look, they’re largely carnivorous!
However, the Appletun itself is... Not exactly edible. This is because most of the Bug Type Pokemon it lives off of are poisonous, and it absorbs that into itself. So while you could in theory eat it, it’ll just make you sick.
Most likely you heard one of the local tales though! There’s a rather interesting story about an Applin and its Trainer, from before we were actually ‘Trainers’ at all! I don’t remember the specifics well, but the summary of it is that the Trainer keeps the Applin and even when they run out of food, the Trainer feeds it the sweetest apple she could find. In turn, the Applin changes itself in a way that makes food for the Trainer, and they make it through the famine. If I remember correctly, depending on the region you’re in, they phrase the ending as something akin to, “And the Appletun was born, and the Appletun gave its flesh for their survival.”
...Don’t quote me on that though, its only a rough translation and its been a while since I heard that story in particular.
To answer your question though, its never been popular to eat Appletuns themselves, but it is rather common to eat Appletun products, such as Crisps, Nectar, and Gateau Tann, which requires both the shed ‘skin’ and nectar to create!
This process doesn’t hurt the Appletun, by the way. Its something they do naturally, and if not removed regularly, the Scales, or Crisps, can overgrow and become soggy and weighed down by the nectar, which makes them vulnerable to infection and other illnesses! Things like taking the Crisps from your Appletun are what you might consider a mutual symbiotic relationship. It benefits you in that you get a sweet snack packed with nutrients, and it benefits them by keeping your Appletun hale and hardy!
