Which is better, apricots or dried apricots? The best recipes with dried apricots

In the set of dried fruits you can find products, some of which are already ready for consumption. Others, as a rule, are heat treated before use. Literally any fruit can be fermented (dried). The practice of fruit preparation dates back thousands of years. During this time, man has developed many technologies, using which it is possible to obtain dried fruits of different quality from the same garden fruit.

Dried apricots, dried figs and dates, apricots, kaisa, prunes, dried apples and pears, sultanas, dried bananas, papaya, dried melon, unabi, etc. Even candied fruits are sometimes classified as dried fruits, since the base still remains fruit. During the drying process, the following occurs: excess liquid is removed from the product under natural or specially created conditions. This allows you to prevent spoilage and rotting, maintain suitability for consumption and a set of useful substances. Let's look at the difference between apricots and dried apricots, because, as you know, both dried fruits come from apricots.

Apricots. So meaty orange fruits, which you take and eat straight from the tree. Or prepare it for the winter in the form of compote, jam, jam, confiture, marmalade. Fresh fruit can be used to prepare fruit salad, pie, bagels, pies. Apricots, of course, are also prepared in the form of dried fruits.

Apricot trees are divided into wild and cultural species. The most common variety is common apricot. IN middle lane In Russia they grow Manchurian and Siberian. During the fruit selling season, on the shelves you can find “pineapple”, “red cheek”, “golden feather”, “excellent” and dozens of other varieties of early and late apricots.

So what is the difference between apricot and apricot? You can get apricots from apricots, but you cannot get apricots from apricots. In Central Asia, apricots are made only from wild varieties fruit trees, but apricots are those varieties that are classified as cultivated. That is, the main difference is the state of the product: fresh or dried (dried). And now it’s time to ask the question again: what is the difference between dried apricots and apricots?

Uryuk is a fermented apricot with a pit.

Dried apricots are fermented pitted apricots.

Eastern peoples believe that apricots are much healthier than dried apricots, since its “heart” (stone) is not removed from the fruit, the integrity of the apricot is not compromised. To produce this product, no effort is required special effort. Time and nature will do everything themselves. The fruits can be left on the trees and wait for the summer sun and wind to dry them. Or you can harvest the crop, place the fruit somewhere in the shade and wait for fermentation. If your grandmother had a wonderful orchard, you probably ate dried apricots as a child.

Preparing dried fruits from apricots at home is only suitable for private use. But on an industrial scale, special technologies are used to speed up the fermentation process. Do you know why dried apricots have such a rich orange color? Because the product is treated with special substances before drying. Apricots are smoked less often, so they are less attractive in appearance, but no less tasty.

So, let's list the main differences:

  • the presence of a bone;
  • color (apricots have a dark almost brown tint);
  • drying method (dried apricots are less often dried in natural conditions);
  • popularity in a particular culinary culture.

How to choose a quality product?

You need to know how to choose a store-bought product. So, apricots should be as dry and hard as possible, without mold and white coating, dark spots, spoilage, and dirt. Dried apricots should also not be too wet.

High-quality apricots have a uniform brownish tint, and dried apricots have a dark orange color without splashes of red or yellow. Pale dried apricots have definitely been treated with sulfur dioxide, and therefore can cause an allergic reaction.

Dried fruits should crumble and not stick to each other. The latter quality indicates that moisture is present, shortening the shelf life of the product. Another way to check quality is soaking. If after 10-15 minutes the water from the dried apricot turns colored, it means that a dye was added to give a characteristic color (not best characteristic quality).

Today we will tell you about what dried fruits such as apricots and dried apricots are. The difference between these products will also be described in this article. In addition, from it you will learn why they are useful and how they are produced.

general information

Apricot is the fruit of the tree of the same name, which belongs to the plum genus and the rose family. This fruit is very juicy. It is a single-drupe fruit that has a yellowish-red color. The shape of the apricot is round, elliptical or obovate. It has a longitudinal groove in the middle.

The stone of this fruit is thick-walled, rough or smooth. The skin of the apricot is velvety-pubescent and has a yellowish-orange color. As a rule, there is almost always a one-sided reddish tan on one side of this fruit.

In cultivated varieties, the fruit pulp is very juicy and sweet. As for wild apricots, they are coarser-fibered and have a bitter taste. Most often, the fruits ripen in June-August. At this time of year, the price of apricots is significantly lower than in other months.

What is made from apricots?

Dried apricots - all these products have a direct connection. After all, it is from apricot fruits make these dried fruits. In addition, juicy and fresh fruits very often used for cooking delicious jams, jam and jam. Apricots are also well suited for canning in syrup and creating juice with pulp.

Apricots and dried apricots: the difference

Both apricots and dried apricots are dried apricots. They can be easily found in a store or market. As a rule, such ingredients are used for making compotes, baked goods, apricot vodka, jam, and also for regular consumption. But not everyone knows the difference between apricots and dried apricots. Their difference lies in the drying method. As we found out above, both dried fruits presented are made from fresh apricots. However, for the production of dried apricots, the fruits are used without seeds, and for apricots - with seeds.

How are dried apricots made?

Dried apricots are dried apricots without seeds. To produce it, you need to take ripe ones and then wash them thoroughly. Next, you need to make a small cut in the middle of the apricot and carefully remove the pit.

In order for the fruit to be preserved even after drying, the processed fruit should be placed in water to which lemon acid. After a few minutes, the apricot needs to be removed and dried. It is recommended to do this in the oven or under the sun.

Of course, the production method of drying apricots differs significantly from the home method. That is why, after purchasing dried apricots in the store, you should rinse them thoroughly, since entrepreneurs very often add various chemicals to them to make them look beautiful.

How are apricots made?

Now you know that dried pitted apricots are called dried apricots. It should be noted that this particular product is most popular among consumers. As for apricots, most often they buy them only for making compotes. Thanks to the presence of a seed, such a product makes homemade drink especially tasty and rich. However, it is practically not used for preparing other desserts. What is this connected with? The fact is that dried apricots have practically no pulp. In this regard, it is quite problematic to use it for preparing various desserts or for regular consumption. However, such a product still has advantages. Its price is significantly lower than the cost of dried apricots.

How are apricots made? To prepare it, small and not very fleshy apricots are used. They are washed thoroughly and then dried in special dryers, oven or in the sun. The cooking time for apricots is much longer than for dried apricots. After all, a product with a pit takes much longer to dry. By the way, during mass production, chemicals are much less often added to apricots. Therefore it appearance after drying it leaves much to be desired. Although it is precisely this fact that makes it more useful and nutritious.

The benefits of dried apricots

Are apricots and dried apricots, the differences between which we discussed above, beneficial for the body? Of course. Dried apricots represent good food for cores. After all, it contains a lot of potassium salts, which has a beneficial effect on work of cardio-vascular system. Moreover, the presence of this element helps to increase hemoglobin levels and regulate blood pressure.

It is advisable to consume dried apricots during anemia, pregnancy and anemia. It should also be noted that dried apricot can provide soft laxative effect, and normalizing its peristalsis. It is impossible not to say that the carotene contained in dried apricots is extremely necessary for a person to maintain good condition of the visual organs.

The benefits of apricots

If you have circulatory problems and anemia, apricots should definitely be included in your diet. It contains magnesium salts, which makes it an excellent remedy from hypertension. It should also be noted that in those regions where this product present in diet all year round, residents very rarely experience fractures. After all, apricots strengthen bone tissue, and also promote hair growth and skin beauty.

Experts have proven that consuming this dried fruit prevents the development of For this, a person only needs to consume 100 g of apricots per day.

Like dried apricots, this product has a diuretic effect. A decoction of it quickly relieves swelling.

Let's sum it up

Now you know the difference between apricots and dried apricots. The two named products are equally beneficial for the human body. It should be said that in Central Asia, local residents consider these dried fruits to be gifts from Allah. Poems and fairy tales have even been written about their healing properties and benefits.

But in order for such products to truly have a beneficial effect on the body, they must be chosen correctly. Experts do not recommend chasing glossy and beautiful dried fruits. The worse a product looks, the more likely it is that it contains no chemicals.

Dried apricots and apricots are dried fruits produced from apricot fruits. The only difference is that apricot is an apricot with a pit, and dried apricots are dried halves of a delicious fruit. Dried apricots and apricots are a treasure trove useful vitamins And minerals. These fruits, even after drying, retain most of the valuable elements.

The benefits of dried fruits

Dried apricots and apricots do not contain as many vitamins and minerals as fresh apricots. But dried fruits are also rich in vitamins B, PP, A and C. They contain a lot of potassium, phosphorus, iron and calcium. Dried fruits are rich in fiber, which improves product absorption.

Doctors recommend eating five pieces of dried apricots or apricots every day to prevent vitamin deficiency, heart and vascular diseases, as well as anemia. Dried fruits will be even healthier if you eat them with honey. Dried apricots provide positive impact on hormonal background humans and reduce cholesterol levels. It is useful to eat dried apricots for kidney diseases, thyroid gland and for diabetes.

It has been established that dried apricots actively fight cancer cells. To do this, it is best to eat it with walnut and prunes. Dried fruits are crushed very finely, honey is added to them and eaten before breakfast, one spoon at a time. Dried apricots remove harmful substances from the body and cleanse the blood. Dried apricots are quite often consumed during diets. It gives a feeling of satiety and speeds up metabolism.

But you should not eat dried apricots in large quantities - this can lead to digestive upset. Some people cannot eat apricots because they are allergic to them. If after eating an apricot you feel discomfort, it is better to refuse the fruit. Sometimes children experience skin irritation and poisoning after eating dried apricots. Dried fruit reduces arterial pressure and it should not be eaten if you have asthma.

What is the difference between apricots and dried apricots?

In order to dry dried apricots, the pit is removed and the fruit is divided into two parts. So that it can be stored long time, fruit is often dried using a variety of chemical substances. Although initially the apricots were dried in the open sun for 10 days.

Apricots, unlike dried apricots, are dried naturally. The apricot is not removed from the tree until it has completely lost moisture. Thus, it retains most of the nutrients and vitamins that apricot is rich in.

Since dried apricots are often not dried naturally, it contains less vitamins and minerals. In addition, during the cooking process the fruit is cut, which violates its integrity. As a result, many useful material are not saved.

The most useful are considered more natural products. Apricot will be healthier than dried apricots and apricots. But in turn, apricots are less susceptible to processing and retain almost everything beneficial features, which apricot is endowed with. When choosing between these dried fruits, you should give preference to apricots.

Hello, dear readers!

The indigenous people of Central Asia have long been convinced that the only type of dried apricot that truly has healing qualities is an apricot.

However, today many Russians, when buying dried fruits from this range at markets or supermarkets, give preference to large, bright orange dried apricots with ideal shapes.

However, not everyone understands that under the outwardly beautiful shell there is usually sulfur dioxide, which can negatively affect human health.

So, what is apricot? Why do Georgian, Uzbek or Tajik elders consider him panacea from all diseases and a gift from Allah himself? Today I will try to lift the veil on this issue in my article. And you will find out what it looks like, what characteristics it has and how it should be eaten.

Unlike industrial technologies dried fruit production, real apricots are dried directly on tree branches, naturally, without preservatives, heat treatment or fumigation with sulfur.

Traditionally, they choose small fruits apricots, which “ripen” in natural conditions until completely dehydrated, saturated with the energy of the Sun and Earth. Usually apricots are obtained from such varieties wild apricots like:

  • Isfarak;
  • Zarzara;
  • Zherdel;
  • Kandak;
  • Mirsanjali.


After all, they:

  1. They have optimal sizes for drying ripe fruits, similar to.
  2. They have dense fleshy pulp.
  3. When dried, the fruit is preserved almost entirely along with the stone.

After the liquid evaporates from these fruits, they contain a concentrate of taste and benefits for the human body:

  • Vitamins of group A, C, P, PP, B;
  • Fiber;
  • Malic, citric, tartaric and salicylic acids;
  • Beta carotene;
  • Potassium;
  • Sodium;
  • Calcium;
  • Gland;
  • Yoda;
  • Phosphorus;
  • Pectin;
  • Tannins;
  • Simple and complex carbohydrates;
  • Unsaturated fatty acids;
  • Dietary fiber;
  • Plant proteins.


A real proper apricot looks quite unpretentious and is a whole dried fruit with a seed. It has wrinkled skin of an indistinct brown hue.

And the bone located inside the dried fruit is not very convenient for further use. Because of this, many people prefer it, thus not receiving all the vitamins and minerals that fresh apricots are rich in, but which are 100% present in dried apricots.

What are the benefits of apricots?

Dried apricots are high in energy food product. The calorie content of 100 grams of this dried fruit is 213 kcal. Its vitamin and mineral complex helps a person maintain health, beauty, youth, and longevity for a long time.

Thanks to the combination of unique biologically active substances in its composition, it has incredibly high natural properties:

  1. General strengthening;
  2. Anti-aging;
  3. Cleansing;
  4. Antioxidant;
  5. Fat burning;
  6. Immunostimulating;
  7. Diuretics;
  8. Antispasmodic;
  9. Anthelmintic properties.

At the same time, chocolate or mountain dried apricots. It is very sweet, fleshy, pleasant to the taste and has a beautiful dark brown hue. It is successfully used by athletes to activate protein synthesis during physical activity and increase muscle growth.


Followers healthy eating They replace them with pharmaceutical vitamin preparations. And traditional healers use this dried fruit as a natural immunomodulator. Even modern medicine does not deny the benefits of apricots in treatment. various diseases. Because it promotes:

  • Removing bad cholesterol or toxic metabolic products from the body;
  • Inhibition of putrefactive bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract;
  • Increasing the body's defenses and performance;
  • Improving the condition of the skin, nail plates or hair;
  • Sharpening of vision;
  • Strengthening bone tissue;
  • Alkalinization of the body;
  • Replenishment of vitamin deficiency;
  • Slowing down tissue aging;
  • Breakdown of fats;
  • Relieving fatigue;
  • Regulation of water-lithium balance;
  • Normalization of cardiac activity;
  • Prevention of vitamin deficiency.

What's the other side of the coin?

Although there are very few contraindications to consuming apricots, in some cases it can harm our body. This should be especially taken into account by those people who:

  1. Has an individual intolerance to it.
  2. Suffering allergic reaction for beta carotene.
  3. If you overuse this dried fruit, you may gain extra pounds.

At the same time, many experts advise limiting the consumption rate or even exclude from the diet apricot nutrition:

  • Diabetics;
  • Hypotonics;
  • Nursing women;
  • People suffering from obesity or diarrhea.

How does a person use apricots?

Like all types of dried apricots, apricots are a favorite delicacy of many adults and children. In honor of this dried fruit, people have composed various fairy tales, legends, and poems for centuries. Since this solar product not only gives a person true taste pleasure, it brings great benefit body, but also helps with various ailments. Therefore, I will tell you how it is used:

In cooking

Uryuk can be eaten raw or made from it:

  1. Jam;
  2. Jam;
  3. Compote;
  4. Pastila.

This dried fruit is added to the filling for pancakes, pies, casseroles or used as additional ingredient for pilaf. In other dishes it goes well with:

  • Low-fat cottage cheese;
  • Sour cream;
  • Yogurt;
  • Carrots;
  • Pumpkin;
  • Bread or hot Uzbek flatbreads.

Immediately before use dried apricots follows:

  1. Go through.
  2. Rinse.
  3. Fill warm water for half an hour for swelling.

Then dry it slightly, remove the pit, and then just use the pulp of the fruit, which can be chopped, passed through a sieve, meat grinder or blender.


For health and beauty

The healing properties of apricots help a person:

  • Slow down the growth of tumors;
  • Normalize blood pressure;
  • Strengthen the hair follicle;
  • Neutralize the effects of free radicals;
  • Improve the health of body cells;
  • Reduce the risk of cataracts.

Daily use 100 grams This dried fruit shows amazing results in the fight against:

  1. Anemia;
  2. Migraine;
  3. Edema;
  4. Hypertension;
  5. Nervous disorders;
  6. Jade;
  7. Cold;
  8. hiccups;
  9. Whooping cough.

But by eating twenty kernels from apricot seeds a day you can get rid of:

  • Upper respiratory tract diseases;
  • Formation of stones in the kidneys or gall bladder;
  • Development of oncology.


At the same time, the same ground kernels can be used as a cosmetic scrub to make your skin smooth and pleasant, and your hair silky.

Concluding my story, I want to note that today it is very difficult to find real apricots from wild apricots in our retail network. After all, such a product is produced only in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China or Uzbekistan, where regions of their natural growth are still preserved. That's why apricots are included in Red Book.

However, when buying dried apricots, do not choose elegant dried apricots, but a dull, brown and unsightly-looking product. This way you will be sure that it has not been treated with chemicals.

Good health to you! See you!

Apricots are dried apricot fruits containing the pit. Unlike other dried fruits, it is collected ready-made from the branches of the tree. Drying occurs naturally under the influence of sun and wind. As a result, the fetus retains maximum amount vitamins and other useful substances.

Uryuk – healing properties and application

Types of dried fruits from apricots

Uryuk is not the only dried fruit that is obtained from apricots. Dried apricots and kaisa are also its varieties. How are they different? Let's find out in more detail what kaisa, apricots and dried apricots are, what they look like, and what fruits they are made from.

So, there are three types of dried apricots:

  • dried apricots;
  • dried apricots;
  • kaisa.

Dried apricots are dried apricot halves. Depending on the method of production, it can be either bright yellow or dark orange or brownish. Greatest benefit have fruits with a pale color. It is evidence that no chemicals were used in the production of dried fruits. This is what natural dried apricots look like:

Dried apricots are dried on an industrial scale using a special chamber or on racks in the open sun.

Uryuk is a dried apricot with a pit. Get it out small fruits dried right on the branches of the tree. It is then sorted and sent for sale. They are not subjected to any further processing and are immediately ready to eat.

The absence of any chemical or heat treatment of the fruit ensures maximum conservation it contains useful substances. At the same time, it has a fairly long shelf life, since the integrity of its skin is not compromised.

Sometimes you may find seedless apricots on sale. However, despite its similarities, it is actually a completely different type of dried fruit called kaisa. The technology for harvesting it is very similar to obtaining dried apricots, with one small exception - the fruit is not cut before drying, but the seed is squeezed out of it.

Apricots and dried apricots, unlike kaisa, are often found on sale, so everyone more or less knows what they look like. What is kaisa?

This dried fruit is very similar to dried apricots, so they are often confused, but upon closer examination the difference becomes obvious. The kaisa has a hole inside that remains after the seed is extracted. Dried apricots are only half of the fruit and do not have such a cavity.

Interesting fact! It is believed that the birthplace of apricot is Armenia. It is not for nothing that the old botanical name of this fruit sounds like “Armenian Apple”.

The benefits of apricots

The indigenous people of Central Asia call apricots a divine gift. Women know it as the fruit of beauty. And in Tajikistan they even make an elixir of longevity from it. Why is he so famous? Its chemical composition will help us find out why Asians value apricots so much, what are the benefits and harms of this dried fruit.

Composition of apricots

Uruk has a chemical composition very rich in useful substances. It contains:

  • vitamins – C, A, PP, E, B, beta-carotene;
  • macroelements – phosphorus, calcium, potassium, sodium, magnesium;
  • microelements – iron;
  • replaceable and essential amino acids– arginine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, glycine, serine, alanine;
  • sugars – fructose, glucose, sucrose;
  • saturated and unsaturated fatty acids;
  • proteins;
  • fats;
  • carbohydrates.

Among vitamins, apricots are especially rich in tocopherol. Its content often reaches 6 mg per 100 g of product weight. There is also a lot of ascorbic acid - about 4 mg. B vitamins are represented mainly by thiamine and riboflavin.

Of the minerals, potassium is especially noteworthy. Uryuk is a record holder for its content - as much as 1800 mg per 100 g of dried fruit. There are also macroelements necessary for human health such as phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. It contains only 3.2 mg of iron, however, this amount is quite enough to cover a quarter of the daily requirement.

As for nutritional value, apricots will give a few points of advantage to many other types of dried fruits. 100 g of product contains 242 kcal. However, this does not mean that overweight people cannot eat apricots. High calorie content this dried fruit does not prevent them from losing weight with its help. The thing is that the lion's share of calories comes from carbohydrates, which are quickly absorbed in the human body, causing a feeling of fullness. At the same time, they are not stored in excess fats, but are broken down with the release large quantity energy. This feature allows even diabetics to eat apricots, of course within reasonable limits and after prior consultation with a doctor.

Therapeutic effect

Due to its rich chemical composition, apricots have the following beneficial properties:

  • diuretic
  • restorative
  • laxative
  • expectorant
  • hypotonic
  • antioxidant
  • antitumor
  • tonic
  • vitaminizing.

For overweight people there will be useful information find out that apricots accelerate cellular metabolism and promote combustion extra pounds. For headaches, it has an analgesic effect and strengthens blood vessels. For anemia – promotes the production of red blood cells, improves blood quality. Apricots also help relieve stress and stimulate digestion. It has a general rejuvenating effect on human body, prevents the development of cancer cells, normalizes digestion, relieves swelling, improves vision.

Advice! When purchasing, pay attention to the color of the apricot. The bright, shiny color of the dried fruit will indicate its unnaturalness. It is better to give preference to faded, dark fruits.

Application in medicine

The healing properties of apricots have not gone unnoticed by doctors. It is used in the treatment and prevention of a wide variety of diseases. Cardiovascular diseases, intestinal disorders, colds, flu, nervous diseases - this is just a short list of ailments for which it is used.

Indications

Apricots, both dry and in infusion, are useful for the following diseases:

  • migraine;
  • hypertension;
  • anemia;
  • avitaminosis;
  • oncology;
  • thrombophlebitis;
  • constipation;
  • depression;
  • neuroses;
  • vascular dystonia;
  • asthma;
  • bronchitis;
  • diabetes;
  • osteoporosis;
  • anemia;
  • intestinal disorders.
Women will also be interested to know that apricots slow down the aging process and strengthen the structure of hair and nails. For old people, it prolongs life and maintains clarity of mind. The so-called long-livers drink is made from it, which is water infusion from dried apricots. It is believed that regular use This elixir can prolong life up to 120 years.

Contraindications

Apricots have not only beneficial properties, but also contraindications. In particular, it should not be eaten by people with hypersensitivity to plant pigments. Simply put, with an allergy to brightly colored orange or red fruits. This is especially true for young children. It is also not recommended to abuse this dried fruit for the following diseases:

  • hypotension;
  • severe stage of diabetes;
  • individual intolerance.

Apricots should be used with caution when breastfeeding, as it can cause loosening of the baby’s intestines. People prone to overeating and diarrhea should also not eat it.

Why apricots are useful, how to use them and choose them, see this video.

Related publications