Characteristics

• Family: Rosaceae
• Common names: Apricot, Armenian plum, Armenian apple
• Scientific names: Prunus armeniaca (synonym Armeniaca vulgaris), Prunus mume (Japanese apricot)
• Origin: Northeast China
• Season: Summer
• Colour: Orange 
• Flavour: Sweet and slightly tart

Properties

• Rich in antioxidants
• Rich in carotenoids
• Rich in fibre
• Source of vitamins A & C
• Low in calories
• Stimulates intestinal transit

Nutritional and caloric values

Eaten fresh, dried or in juice, apricots are rich in fibre, antioxidants and vitamin A.

Dried apricots are appreciated by athletes for the energy they provide and for their high iron and copper content.

Dried apricots contain the same amount of sugar as fresh apricots.

However, as with any dried fruit, the sugar is more concentrated.

The dehydration process reduces the water content of the fruit, concentrating the sugar, but also other nutrients, including vitamins and minerals.

This makes apricots and other dried fruits a nutritious food.

• Glycemic load: Low
• Antioxidant power: High

Zoom in on the micronutrients

• Vitamin A
• Iron
• Copper
• Vitamin B3 (niacin)
• Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin K
• Magnesium
• Phosphorus
• Potassium

Indications

• An excellent source of fibre
• Prevention of cardiovascular disease
• Control of type 2 diabetes
• A natural anti-inflammatory
• Acts on chronic gastritis
• Rich in antioxidants
• A true rich source of carotenoids

How to choose the right apricot?

A perfectly ripe apricot weighs an average of 45 grams with its stone and has a characteristic orange colour, sometimes flecked with red.

The apricot is easily recognisable by its fluffy skin and juicy flesh, with a more or less acidic flavour depending on the ripeness and variety.

However, to get the most out of apricots, it is essential to know how to choose them and store them well.

The colour of the apricot, an index of ripeness

The apricot should be yellow or orange, soft to the touch, fragrant and with a smooth skin, showing signs of ripeness.

If necessary, you can ripen apricots by placing them in a paper bag at room temperature for 1 or 2 days.

Avoid unripe fruit as it will not ripen.

Eat locally for more flavour

The fruits of the best apricot varieties are rarely found fresh outside the area where they are grown.

In fact, they do not stand up well to the many manipulations required during storage and transport over long distances.

As a result, canned or dried apricots are often tastier because they are picked when fully ripe and come from tastier varieties.

For more flavour, it is therefore advisable to buy fresh apricots grown and harvested in Europe.

The importance of reading labels

Various apricot products such as jam and juice (nectar) are popular with consumers.

To reduce the cost of producing these products, some food companies sometimes replace apple or pumpkin puree with an amount of apricot.

Although prohibited, this practice often goes unnoticed as the taste, texture or colour of the final product is not necessarily altered.

Other industrial apricot-based products, such as desserts, jams and jellies, suffer from the massive addition of sugar and/or fructose syrup, which has a negative impact on health.

To make the best choice, it is therefore advisable to favour fresh apricots and to read food labels carefully.

Store apricots well

If you buy apricots ready to eat, they will keep for no more than 2 or 3 days at room temperature.

They can be kept in the fridge in a perforated plastic bag for 1 week, but this will change their texture and flavour.

Take them out some time before eating.

To store them in the freezer, cut them in half along the fold, remove the seeds and place the halves on a plate to freeze.

Then place them in plastic bags and return to the freezer.

How to prepare the apricot?

Thanks to its sweet and tangy flavour, the apricot lends itself to a multitude of preparations in the kitchen.

Eaten pure, incorporated into a dessert or savoured in sweet and savoury versions, the apricot comes in a thousand and one forms for our greatest pleasure.

Apricot for dessert

• The apricot is easily found in many desserts, such as ice cream, yoghurt, pancakes, rice pudding, cakes, clafoutis, charlottes, pies, muffins. Don't hesitate to combine it with almonds, its ideal companion.
• It can also be simply poached in maple syrup or honey, or dipped in melted chocolate.
• Particularly rich in pectin, it can be used to make excellent jams in which grape juice or honey can replace the sugar.

An ideal fruit for making sauces and condiments

• Vinaigrette:
  • Mix apricot juice with vegetable oil, cider vinegar, mustard and a little Tabasco sauce if desired.
• Mustard Seasoning:
  • Mix ½ cup apricot jam (preferably unsweetened or sweetened with fruit juice) with 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard. Serve with meat or as a vinaigrette.
• Chutney sauce:
  • Barely ripened apricots are perfect for this dish. Mash them with coriander leaves, ginger root, chopped onion, pepper and lemon juice.
• Apricots and poultry, a winning combination

Apricot filling:

• Mix chopped dried apricots, walnuts, onions, cooked wild rice and herbs.
• Coat a bird (chicken, turkey, etc.) with the apricot jam before cooking:
• Add the garlic, soy sauce, olive oil and rosemary to the jelly.
• Keep some of the preparation as a side sauce and pour the rest over the meat.
• Leave to marinate for half an hour before roasting.

The secret ingredient in surprising soups

• Celery and apricot soup
• Sauté the celery and chopped onion in olive oil.
• Add vegetable stock and dried apricots and cook for 45 minutes.
• Blend, season with salt and pepper and serve.

Indian soup:

• Combine apricots with pumpkin, spices (ginger, mustard and coriander seeds, saffron, cinnamon, pepper) and basmati rice.

Apricot salad:

• Mix slices of fresh or dried and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms with pieces of dried apricots.
• Cook for a few minutes in boiling water with green beans, carrots and daikon (or other radish), chopped or sliced.
• Cool in cold water before adding to the first two ingredients.
• Serve with a dressing made from tofu, tahine (sesame paste), soy sauce, rice vinegar and mirin (Japanese cooking wine) mixed in a blender.
• Add a few strips of lemon zest to garnish.

Umeboshi, an original way to rediscover apricots

These salty, dried apricots are sold in tins in health food shops.

One of the easiest ways to eat them is to cut them up and make a rice ball out of them by hand.

Dip the dumplings in soy sauce and season with Japanese horseradish (wasabi) if you like.

The Japanese have added many virtues to umeboshi, a popular dish in macrobiotic cuisine.

It does not come from a plum, as is often claimed, but from an apricot of the genus Prunus mume.

To make umeboshi, apricots are marinated in salt before being dried.

Contraindications and allergies

Although apricots are excellent for your health, there are some contraindications to their consumption.

In fact, it can cause digestive problems and allergies in some particularly sensitive people.

In case of doubt, it is essential to consult a doctor.