History
The apricot is a stone fruit that belongs to the Rosaceae family along with apple, pear, peach and others. It is also found in the Prunophora subgenus within Prunus together with plums. The fruit originates from China, from where it was spread west through central Asia to Europe in 70-60 BC. The American history of apricots is uncertain, however it is believed to originate from the Columbus era. In the United States, apricots were grown in California and Washington. Today, California accounts for 94% and Washington accounts for 6% of the apricot production. Although a commonly consumed fruit, the production in the United States comprises only 3% of the world's production. Turkey is the leading country in apricot production followed by Iran, Italy , France, Pakistan, Spain, Syria, Morocco, China, and the United States.
Apricots are grown on trees that reach heights of 12 to 45 feet and carry white flowers. The fruit is 1.5” to 2.5” wide and require 3 to 6 months to develop and ripe. Fruits for raw consumption are hand picked due to its susceptibility to damage. However, most fruits are canned and dried, thus can be harvested by trunk shaking. After harvest, the apricots have extremely short shelf life and need to be consumed within 1 to 2 weeks.
The bark, leaves, flowers, and seeds of apricots contain toxic substances, which generate cyanide. Cyanide is lethal in large doses, but is believed to have therapeutic effects in small doses. Therefore, apricot tissues and oils, which contain small doses, were used to treat tumors and ulcers in the 25 BC up until the 17 th century. However, in more resent years, scientific research reports no beneficial effect of these compounds on tumor cells.
Nutrition information
Apricots are good sources of vitamin A and vitamin C. In addition, they are low in calories, low in fat, and high in fiber.
Nutrient analysis for 1 cup of apricots: calories: 74, carbohydrates: 17 g, protein: 2 g, fat: 1 g, cholesterol: 0 mg, sodium: 2 mg, fiber: 3 g