Whole Dried Apricots with Seed

Whole apricots, sun-dried the traditional Afghan and Central Asian way with the skin, fruit and pit left intact. Unlike bright orange machine-processed apricots, these are unsulphured, so they darken naturally to a deep amber-brown and keep a concentrated, tangy-sweet flavour with a firm, chewy bite.

Drying them whole holds in more of the natural oils and aroma than halved and pitted fruit. The result is closer to how apricots have been preserved in mountain villages for generations: rustic, intensely fruity, and less sweet than candied dried fruit.

How to enjoy them

Eat them as they are for a chewy, tart snack, or soak in warm water for a few hours to plump them up. Softened, they go into chutneys, lamb and chicken stews, pilafs, compotes and jams, or steep the soaking water for a traditional apricot drink. They pair naturally with walnuts, almonds and pistachios on a mixed nut and fruit platter.

The seed

The pit can be cracked open for the kernel inside, a long-standing part of Afghan and Central Asian tradition. Taste one first: kernels from wild apricots range from sweet and almond-like to distinctly bitter. Bitter kernels are best used sparingly as a flavouring rather than eaten in quantity.

Details

Also known as

Whole dried apricot with seed, Afghan apricot with pit, seeded apricot, wild apricot
Dari: زردآلو با هسته | Pashto: زردالو د تخم سره | Turkish: Çekirdekli Kayısı Kurusu | Arabic: مشمش مجفف مع النواة | Hindi: बीज सहित सूखा खुबानी | French: Abricot Sec avec Noyau | German: Getrocknete Aprikose mit Kern | Russian: Курага с косточкой | Chinese: 带核杏干