Origin: The apricot (Prunus armeniaca in Latin) is part of the rosaceae family and has its origin in China where it had already been cultivated about 4,000 years ago. Alexander the Great brought the apricot to Greece and Italy but it was the Romans who introduced it all around Europe in 70 BC.

Fruit: The skin of the roundish fruit is initially greenish-yellow and later on yellow-orange. 

Taste: The apricot has a sweet-acidulous flavour and is juicy.

Maturity: Only fruits harvested after having matured on the tree develop their full taste. The harvest window is between mid-July and mid-August.  

Recommendations: Apricots are perfectly suitable for raw consumption, but they are also ideal for preparing stewed and dried fruit, jam, jelly, juice drinks, liquors and spirits.

Apricots contain lots of beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A, which is responsible for good vision, healthy skin and mucosa as well as for resistance against infections.

Thanks to the active agent combination of folic acid, copper and iron apricots are ideal fruits for pale, anaemic persons. Also worth mentioning are the high levels of niacin (for nerves and tone), vitamin C (immune system) and potassium (water balance, muscle contractions). 43 calories/180 kilojoules per 100 g of apricots.