Dried apricots are dried fruits, with or without seeds, that are obtained by drying the fruits of the apricot tree. Dried apricots beneficial features and the contraindications of which we will consider in this article is a product with a rich bouquet of vitamins, minerals and trace elements. It contains a lot of vitamin C which helps strengthen immune system in cold seasons, it also contains vitamin A, popularly referred to as the “vitamin of youth”; it is involved in the synthesis of taurine, hyaluronic acid and collagen, and also synthesizes sex hormones. In dried fruit you can find nicotinamide, which puts in order the respiratory processes of all tissues of the human body, improves metabolism and B vitamins, they normalize metabolic processes, improve vision and synthesize hemoglobin. Naturally, in comparison with fresh apricots, apricots contain less vitamins, but there is more in it minerals which include iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, carotene, phosphorus.
Types of dried apricots
Few people thought about what type of dried apricots they buy on store shelves and, in general, how many of these types there are and whether there is a difference. There are 3 types of dried apricots:
- dried apricots – dry apricot halves without pits;
- apricot – dry apricot with pit;
- kaisa – whole apricot without bone.
All types are dried fruits, their value is that when they are dried, most of the trace elements and vitamins are preserved.
As noted earlier, dried fruit contains many useful substances, but Uzbeks and Tajiks believe that Uryuk contains the most useful substances, while kaisa and dried apricots are considered simply a delicacy.
Uruk production technology
The drying process of this delicacy is much more economical compared to others. All 
the fact is that it is dried directly on tree branches; ripe apricots are left to “ripen” on the trees until completely dry. If water gets on them during the drying process, then finished product takes on a darkish tint and a slightly different taste. If apricots are not treated with chemicals during drying, they have a grayish, faded color, but if the fruits are nevertheless subjected to chemical treatment, they have a bright Orange color. As a rule, dried apricots are chemically treated during wholesale production to improve their appearance. When purchasing such dried apricots, you should first rinse them warm water or pour boiling water over it.
Natural dried apricots have a brown color and a sweet-sour or sugar-sweet taste; if there is a wine taste, it is better to avoid using them altogether. A winey taste or a fermented taste indicates the use of low-quality apricots during drying or violation of production technology.
Benefits of dried apricot
This dried fruit has many benefits, which means it can be used for medicinal purposes. It will be useful for people suffering from diabetes mellitus and work disorders of cardio-vascular system. It reduces cholesterol in the blood, which largely improves the functioning of the heart, and it also normalizes the functioning of the insulin apparatus of the pancreas.
The optimal daily intake of dried fruit for type 1 or 2 diabetes is just a few pieces pure product or as additives in various dishes. But do not forget that the diet for diabetics requires special attention; before including dried apricots in your diet, consult your doctor.
Like other dried fruits, apricots normalize the functioning of the digestive tract. If a person suffers from constipation, he is advised to pour boiling water over a handful of fruits in the evening and leave them in the water under a lid until the morning. The next morning you need to eat them on an empty stomach and drink the remaining water. If you consume such dried apricots in the morning for a month, intestinal function returns to normal and constipation no longer makes itself felt.
If you eat regularly, you can prevent the development oncological diseases. It is enough to eat several fruits daily or use them in cooking.
Orange dried fruit helps cope with spring vitamin deficiency, both adults and children. However, it is worth remembering that for children, dried apricots should be introduced into the diet no earlier than one year old. At this age, it can be given to children in the form of puree, half a spoon at a time, observing the body’s reaction, you can cook compotes or mix them into porridge.
Dried apricots are effective in the treatment of kidney diseases and thyroid dysfunction. If you are hypertensive, you need to eat it to normalize blood pressure It helps reduce hemoglobin in the blood, which is useful for anemia. This dried fruit improves and preserves vision thanks to B vitamins. It is used to prevent ophthalmic diseases.
Dried fruit has a slight laxative effect on the body, so this product is often used to cleanse the body of toxins and toxins, and also remove heavy metals, radionuclides and free radicals.
Dried fruits apricots are useful during pregnancy. It should be consumed to replenish the body with minerals and for correct formation the child's body. If the expectant mother has constipation, dried apricots will help cope with the problem; this sweetness also helps cope with toxicosis and strong cravings for sweets. Very often, pregnant women experience tooth decay, hair loss, and nails become thinner. If you eat it every day, such problems can be avoided. Despite the rich bouquet of benefits, dried apricots also have contraindications for consumption.
Contraindications for consumption
If you suffer from serious stomach and intestinal disorders, dried apricots are contraindicated for you. If you eat it in large quantities, it will cause serious digestive problems. Earlier it was said that it can be consumed by diabetics, but it is worth noting that this product is rich in fructose and glucose and you need to be extremely careful in dosages.
If you have any stage of obesity, be vigilant with it. You can arrange a fasting day on dried apricots, but at the same time eat no more than 500 grams of it per day, divided into 6 meals. It is better to drink it with plain water or tea without sugar. It is contraindicated for stomach and intestinal ulcers. Abuse of the product causes bloating and diarrhea.
The last contraindication is allergies. If you are allergic to apricots or other fruits, then eating dried apricots is a big question. Before loading up on the treat, try a small amount; if you experience the slightest allergic reaction, stop eating dried apricots altogether. Signs of an allergy may include swelling and an itchy rash.
Dried fruit can cause minimal harm to the body, but its processing methods are important to consider. If, during drying, apricots were treated with chemical compounds to improve their appearance, such a product should not be purchased at all or consumed in moderation.
How to recognize dried apricots treated with chemicals?
It has an unnaturally rich, bright orange color, most likely it was treated with Anhydride. This substance is not only harmful, but also dangerous. It is toxic and when it enters the human body, it can cause severe allergic reaction up to bronchial asthma. Eating foods treated with this chemical can cause serious food poisoning.
Use in cooking
Often in the kitchen, dried apricots are used to add to desserts or flour products. Delicious buns and pies are baked with it, and fillings with dried fruits and nuts are made for bread. It perfectly complements cereals, especially oatmeal. With it you can prepare a variety of compotes, concentrates and tinctures. Gourmets will love the meat with dried apricots and a variety of side dishes. It is often added to Uzbek pilaf.
Jams and preserves with apricots or dried apricots, for example, are tasty and healthy. pumpkin jam with dried apricots. On many culinary portals Such recipes are very popular and the reviews about them speak for themselves.
Meat with dried apricots recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 kilogram of beef;
- 2 onions;
- 20 pieces of dried apricots;
- a glass of sour cream;
- 50 grams of granulated sugar;
- 1/3 glass of water;
- spoon of flour;
- salt and pepper to taste.
Cooking process:
Wash the meat thoroughly and cut into arbitrary pieces, then fry in sunflower oil until golden brown. Add hot water to the frying pan, add salt and pepper, add sugar and let the meat simmer for about ten minutes. While the meat is stewing, sauté the onion separately and season it with flour. Place the finished onion in the meat, add dried apricots and sour cream. Simmer over low heat for half an hour. The dish is ready.
The use of dried apricots does not end only with eating them; this product also indispensable assistant for beauty. Dried apricots effectively rejuvenate the skin, smooth out wrinkles, give a healthy glow, blush and help get rid of acne. Various tonics and masks are made with dried apricots for the face, hands and hair. As for hair, dried apricots treat split ends, stop hair breakouts, and make hair smoother, shinier and more elastic.
Nourishing face mask with dried apricots
This mask effectively nourishes the skin, saturates it with essential moisture and vitamins. The skin becomes velvety to the touch and acquires a natural blush.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 pieces of dried apricots;
- 20 grams of milk powder.
Application:
Pour dried apricots hot water and wait for it to swell. Add dry milk to the finished dried apricots and grind everything thoroughly in a blender. Apply the finished mask to the face for 20 minutes, remove with warm water.
How to cook dried apricots at home
Topics about the benefits of dried apricots and apricots for the body are always popular. But the dangers of this product are talked about much less often. And in vain. Because Negative influence available. And you should definitely know about it before including the product in your diet.
What it is?
Dried apricots are the dried half of an apricot. Quite often, kaisa, which is a whole dried apricot from which the pit has been removed, is sold under this name.
The presence of a seed is the difference between apricots and dried apricots.
There is also this type dried apricots oh, how ashtak. This is a whole dried fruit, from which the seed was first removed and then returned, but in a peeled form.
In this article we will talk about how dried apricots are useful or harmful. However, everything that has been said fully describes the benefits and harms of apricots or kaisa. It’s just that the name “dried apricots” is more understandable to most people.
Compound
The calorie content of dried apricots per 100 grams is 241 kcal. This amount of product contains:
- 7.3 g fiber, which corresponds to 29% of the daily value;
- 72% of the daily dose of vitamin A;
- 33% potassium;
- 22% vitamin E;
- 17% copper;
- 15% iron;
- 13% niacin;
- 12% manganese;
- 8% magnesium;
- 7% phosphorus and vitamin B6 each.
Also chemical composition dried apricots includes vitamins K, B2, pantothenic acid, folate, calcium, zinc, selenium. Carotenoid group antioxidants are also present in dried fruit.
Dried apricot differs from fresh fruit:- lack of vitamins C and B1, which disintegrate when dried;
- 4 times higher carbohydrate and calorie content;
- higher concentrations of vitamins A, E, potassium, fiber.
In addition, the properties of dried apricots are often determined not by its natural composition, but by the additives that many manufacturers use today when drying apricots.
So quite often they use sugar. As a result, the calorie content of apricots, kaisa and other dried options apricot fruits noticeably increases, as does the amount of harmful carbohydrates in their composition.
Another compound that is present in the products of most manufacturers today is sulfur dioxide, which is necessary to preserve the bright color of dried fruit and improve its presentation.
Beneficial features
- Improved bowel function. Dried apricots are weak because they contain a lot of plant fibers. Nowadays, such activity of dried fruit is very useful, since the scourge modern man leading a sedentary lifestyle are chronic constipation.
- Gut microflora support. Plant fiber in the dried fruit, the main form of which is, nourishes the beneficial intestinal microflora. This helps both normalize the functioning of the digestive system and improve the functioning of the entire body as a whole, for example, boost immunity.
- Saturation of the body with potassium. The lack of this microelement leads to hypertension, osteoporosis, urolithiasis and many other serious illnesses. Many people don't even think about how much they lack potassium. They try to limit their consumption table salt, whereas potassium intake should be increased. Don't remove sodium. One of the important explanations why apricots, kaisa, etc. are useful is the presence in them large quantities potassium
- Protection of the heart and blood vessels. Dried apricots for the heart are not only potassium, which prevents hypertension and arrhythmia, but also fiber and antioxidants, which improve the lipid profile and reduce chronic inflammation in blood vessels.
- Treatment and prevention of anemia. Useful properties of dried apricots for prevention iron deficiency anemia are associated not only with the fact that it contains a lot of iron. But also with the presence of copper, which is necessary for the complete absorption of iron from food.
- Vision support. Vitamins A and E are two key bioactive substances necessary to maintain visual acuity. And dried fruit provides these compounds.
- Saturation of the body antioxidants and fight chronic inflammation. The basis of most serious illnesses, such as cancer or atherosclerosis, is negative impact free radicals on cell membranes and their genetic apparatus. As well as chronic, low-grade inflammation, which often occurs precisely because of free radicals. Dried apricots are useful because of what they give to a person a large number of antioxidants (vitamin A is also an antioxidant) and thus saves it from many diseases.
Is it possible to eat while losing weight?
Dried apricots and apricots have beneficial properties for weight loss. These dried fruits:
- improve the functioning of the intestinal microflora, which is useful for weight loss, since in overweight people the composition of the intestinal biocenosis is always changed;
- give the body a lot;
- supply it with antioxidants that help fight chronic inflammation, which is one of the reasons for the accumulation of excess fat deposits.
However, dried apricots for weight loss are not a good choice. Moreover, due to several of its properties.
- The product has intense sweet taste. All sweets, even those that have no calories at all, such as stevia, are harmful to weight loss. Eating a product that has a sweet taste negatively affects the brain, forcing a person to eat more and more, including other sweets. At the same time, giving up sweets, which is absolutely necessary for healthy, sustainable weight loss, becomes almost impossible.
- Dried apricots have enough high calorie content– 241 kcal per 100 grams. This wouldn't be so scary if the product saturated well. But it does not have such properties. Since it contains few compounds that a person really needs for an active life - proteins and fats. And at the same time it has a sweet taste that whets the appetite.
- Dried fruit contains a lot of fructose, which is an isocaloric substance. That is, it stimulates recruitment excess weight, even though it does not overload the body with calories. However, its metabolism is such that all of it turns into fat.
Listed bad influence does not mean that dried apricots for weight loss are so dangerous that they are completely prohibited. It can be included in the diet, but only in small quantities.
How to use?
Dried apricots, apricots, and kaisa should be eaten in small quantities. This is the basic rule for using these dried fruits, following which makes it possible to extract from them maximum benefit and minimize possible harm.
Anyone who wants to eat healthy, and even more so wants to lose weight, needs to remember the following.
- Dried fruit gives the body a colossal boost of energy. This is good for high energy expenditures, that is, with an active lifestyle and intense physical labor. But if you are just sitting in a chair at the computer, and all your physical activity limited to a 15-20 minute walk a day, you will not be able to burn all the energy you get from the product. And therefore it will become fat.
- Dried fruits demonstrate their beneficial, for example, antioxidant, activity only when they are consumed in small quantities. Since when massively included in the diet, a lot of sugars enter the body. And the harm of these compounds often outweighs the benefits of the healing components.
How much can you eat per day?
It is impossible to indicate exactly, in pieces, how much dried apricots can and should be eaten per day. After all, this is not a medicine, but regular product nutrition. That is, no strict dosage has been developed for it.
If you do calculations based on the amount of fructose in this product, it turns out that:
- people who want to lose weight, have a pre-diabetic condition, metabolic syndrome, can eat a little less than 1 glass;
- healthy individuals – 1.5 cups.
However, in this case, the calculation based on fructose is not completely correct. Since dried apricots, apricots, kaisa are sweets. And they have a negative effect on the brain, regardless of what compounds they contain.
Therefore, if you eat a glass of dried fruits every day, you will constantly feed your brain with sweets. And he will demand more and more and more.
Therefore, if you really want to switch to a healthy diet, you must limit daily consumption dried apricots maximum half a glass. And that’s provided that this is the only sweet you eat during the day.
If you eat other sweets, baked goods, etc., then this amount should be reduced.
Optimal dose per day – 5-6 pieces.
Rules for inclusion in the diet
- Dried apricots should not be combined with easily digestible carbohydrates. Including fast cereals, even if the packages of such foods indicate that they are “whole grain”. And also with honey.
- You should not eat dessert after the main meal. Dried apricot makes a hearty snack rather than a light dessert.
- Instead of carbohydrates, dried fruits should be combined with fats and proteins. Especially with fats, as they help the absorption of fat-soluble vitamin A, which is so abundant in this dried fruit. Therefore, it can be added to natural fat cottage cheese. And also eat it with nuts. Just don’t forget that dried apricots + nuts are a colossal boost of energy. And if you decide that your body needs it, then you must understand how you will burn it.
- Dried apricots are good to take with you on those days when you don’t have the opportunity to have a normal lunch and you need a lot of energy. But they cannot be used as a quality. Since this will complicate the process of burning fat deposits and will make the exercise useless if you are exercising specifically to lose weight.
- Dried apricots can be used for, which is indicated for those who train for athletic achievements, and not for weight loss.
How to select, store and prepare for use?
Selection rules
Dried fruit manufacturers use various tricks to make their product as attractive as possible. appearance. And these tricks do not add any benefits to the product.
The main thing you need to pay attention to when choosing dried apricots is its color. The brighter and yellower it is, the more likely it is that it has been treated with various chemical compounds.
Natural dried fruit is usually dark, wrinkled, and often dusty. Unattractive. But that is precisely what is useful.
Also notice the smell of dried apricots. Under no circumstances should they smell of gasoline or smoke.
How to store dried apricots at home?
It is best to place the dried fruit in a cool, ventilated, dark place. It is not easy to find such premises in modern apartments. Therefore, the following storage options are used:
- in a closed cabinet located away from the battery, in a glass jar with a lid or plastic container;
- on the refrigerator shelf, also in a jar or container;
- in the freezer in a freezer bag or plastic container.
The drier the dried apricots, apricots or kaisa, the longer they are stored. Sometimes you come across options that are not completely dried, but only withered. They are softer. They often have the best presentation. But they are stored much less.
If you purchased a soft, only dried product, store it in the freezer. Otherwise, it runs the risk of quickly becoming moldy.
Can you dry it yourself at home?
Yes, dried apricots can be made at home. But this is not so simple, since you will need either special equipment or bright hot sun for several weeks.
Do I need to wash it?
Dried apricots must be washed before use, since they contain both ordinary dirt and sulfur dioxide.
- First you need to rinse with running water.
- Then put it in a container and fill it with water room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- Next, drain the water and rinse the dried fruits again under running water.
The more times you repeat this entire procedure, the more completely you will get rid of sulfur dioxide.
Never pour boiling water over dried apricots, as this destroys the vitamins.
Contraindications and side effects
- A strict contraindication for use is allergies, which are rare.
- The dried fruits sold in most of our stores contain the preservative sulfur dioxide. There may be hypersensitivity to this substance, which can lead to death from suffocation. Patients with asthma are at particular risk, since they develop hypersensitivity to sulfur dioxide 5-10 times more often than those who do not suffer from asthma.
- When abundantly included in the diet, dried apricots cause unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms: bloating and flatulence, diarrhea, pain in the abdominal area. Dried apricots for constipation are an excellent natural laxative. Some people can feel its effect after eating just a few pieces of dried fruit.
- Dried apricots are allowed for gastritis, pancreatitis, and cholecystitis. But not the acute phase of the disease.
- You also need to remember how many calories and sugars are in dried apricots. And there are many of them. Therefore, with excessive and regular consumption, excess weight gain is possible.
Can diabetics eat?
Dried apricots are allowed for diabetes because they glycemic index even lower than fresh fruits, and is only 30.
However, the product contains a lot of fructose, which does not lead to an immediate rise in blood sugar, but gradually, with massive consumption, contributes to the development of diabetes or aggravates its course.
Therefore, despite the fact that dried apricots can be eaten if you have type 2 diabetes, you should not overload on them. Moreover, it stimulates the desire to eat sweets, which is painful for diabetics.
But take a few with you on the road dried fruits not prevent. Since they can help to escape from hypoglycemia.
Is the product allowed during pregnancy?
Dried apricots are allowed during pregnancy, as they have beneficial properties for expectant mothers:
- strengthens the immune system;
- helps prevent anemia;
- eliminate constipation, etc.
However, the number of dried apricots that pregnant women are allowed to eat per day is strictly limited to 5-6 pieces. Otherwise, you may gain excess weight.
In addition, the product may contain sulfur dioxide, the effect of which on the body of a woman expecting a child is highly desirable.
Is it possible while breastfeeding?
Dried orange fruits, like their fresh counterparts, are lactogenic products. Therefore, dried apricots can, and even should, be eaten while breastfeeding. But still, it doesn’t hurt to be a little careful.
You should not include dry apricots in the diet until the child is 2-3 months old.
You should start adding 1-2 items to your menu, carefully monitoring the baby’s condition.
When using dried apricots for breastfeeding, a nursing mother must be careful about the choice of this product and its purity. It is extremely important to thoroughly rinse the dried fruit, freeing it from sulfur dioxide.
At what age should it be given to a child?
Not earlier than 9 months. Preferably one year and older. The product contains a lot of fiber. And it is difficult for very young children to grasp it.
You should start introducing it into your diet with half of one thing. Then observe the baby’s condition for several days. And only then increase the dose.
Be sure to thoroughly wash the dried apricot before giving it to your little one. And try to choose those varieties of dried apricots that contain fewer chemicals.
You should also remember that even though dried fruit is a natural sweetness, it is a sweetness. And under no circumstances should you overfeed your child with sweets.
The benefits and harms of dried apricots and apricots for the body: conclusions
All varieties of dried apricots are rich in plant fiber, vitamins A and E, and potassium. And this is due to their healing effects on the body.
Dried apricots and apricots improve bowel movements (weaken), strengthen the immune system, preserve vision and help prevent hypertension.
However, due to the fact that they contain a lot of sugars, include them in the diet healthy eating These dried fruits are available only in limited quantities.
The best thing is to eat 5-6 pieces per day.
Greetings, my readers!
Let's talk today about the benefits of dried apricots?
Classic dried apricots are cut in half and dried in the sun after removing the pit.
However, you can find a large number of dried fruits of this type on sale - these can be whole fruits without seeds or with them (then called apricots), as well as in varying degrees of dryness.
Let's figure out why dried apricots are useful and how to choose them in order to extract the maximum of valuable properties.
What are the benefits of dried apricots for human health?
Dried apricots
Apricot, dried without pit. Other dried fruits are also obtained from apricots:
- Apricot is a whole small-fruited apricot fruit, dried with the pit (since in most small varieties the pits are difficult to separate from the pulp).
- Kaisa is a whole fruit, dried without seeds.
- Ashtak (ashtak-pashtak) is a whole fruit from which, before drying, the pit was removed, the kernel was removed from it and put back into the apricot . Wiki
Dried apricots are a dried fruit that is produced in Asian countries, Turkey, and the Caucasus.
For drying, choose large fruits from the apricot tree.
They are thoroughly washed, sometimes kept for several minutes in a weak solution of citric acid and dried in the sun.
The chemical composition of dried apricots and its health benefits
The unique properties of dried apricots are that even after drying they are able to retain 98% of microelements and vitamins.
Dried fruit is the leader in the concentration of iron, carotene, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and organic acids, ascorbic acid.
This chemical composition determines its wide range of benefits for the body:
- The active components of dried apricots improve the condition of the vascular wall and act as a lipotropic agent. The level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood decreases, which is especially important for diseases of the cardiovascular system. This property is relevant for men, since they are the ones most susceptible to this group of ailments.
- Dried fruit effectively strengthens the body's defenses; its rich vitamin and mineral composition compensates for the lack of nutrients, which is extremely important for the treatment of seasonal vitamin deficiency and is necessary for pregnant women.
- Iron prevents the development of anemia and supports healthy hematopoiesis.
- For women, the product is useful for its complex anti-aging effects. Vitamin A enhances the natural production of hyaluronic acid. Nicotinic acid and pyridoxine stabilize hormonal background, including in the sexual sphere.
- B-group vitamins strengthen the nervous system and help restore metabolism.
- Dried fruit is recommended to be consumed if you have thyroid diseases.
- Dried apricots are a useful strengthening product that prevents the development of many diseases of the digestive system, vision, blood vessels and is useful for the heart. Her regular use in food reduces the likelihood of developing cancer and prevents premature aging.
If you regularly eat dried apricots, taking into account their benefits and harms, you can stabilize your own health.
Nutritionists say that dried apricots are a complete component of a healthy diet!!!
An interesting video about the benefits of dried apricots?
To learn even more about healing properties dried apricots, watch this video, interesting!
Calorie content of dried apricots
The calorie content of the product, based on 100 grams, is 240 Kcal.
The composition predominantly contains carbohydrates - more than 60%, proteins, fats, fiber, fructose and sucrose, which imposes restrictions on consumption dried dried apricots certain groups of people.
Healthy recipes with dried apricots
Dried apricots can be consumed unchanged or used to prepare various dishes and drinks.
Below are recipes that will allow you to reap all the benefits from dried apricots.
- Vitamin compote
Dried apricots (300 g) are washed with running water and soaked for 30 minutes. Next, dried fruits, filled with 3 liters of water, are placed on the fire.
Add 3-4 tbsp to the mixture. l sugar. from dried apricots is brought to a boil, removed from heat and infused for three hours.
- Mix with honey and other dried fruits
Dried apricot can be combined with other types of dried fruits (dried apricots and raisins); honey can be used instead of sugar.
For liver failure and indigestion, take the compote 30 minutes before meals.
Healthy people can take up to 500 ml during the day. The drink is also suitable for baby food.
- Chicken with dried fruits
In addition to chicken, the recipe contains ingredients such as onions - 2 pcs., tomatoes - 2 pcs., garlic, salt, spices - to taste, oil.
The cooking principle is as follows:
- the carcass is cut into portioned pieces(instead of chicken, it is permissible to use any type of meat - duck, goose, rabbit, beef);
- the meat is processed with seasonings, salt and fried in a frying pan with a little added oil;
- tomatoes are scalded with boiling water and the skins are removed;
- apricots or dried apricots are soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and cut into small slices;
- chopped onion and garlic;
- All prepared ingredients are added to the chicken.
After half an hour the dish reaches full readiness and it can be served to the table.
Contraindications and harm of dried apricots
The harm of this type of dried fruit can be detected if it is consumed in excess.
If you eat a large amount of dried apricots, you can provoke an exacerbation of chronic damage to the digestive organs.
Moreover, in view of high concentration sugars, people suffering from diabetes and other endocrine disorders should first consult a doctor.
Storage conditions and selection of quality dried fruit
The apricot particles themselves should not be transparent.
The consistency of the fruits is large and clean, elastic and moderately hard.
If dried fruits are too intensely colored, this may indicate that the apricots were chemically treated during production.
During the natural drying process, dried apricots acquire a light grayish tint and dullness. The product emits a pleasant natural smell.
Where to buy high-quality natural dried apricots?
I buy dried apricots and other dried fruits not at the market, but here, the quality is guaranteed!
The location chosen to place the product should be free of foreign odors and excess moisture.
As you can see, and very tasty food can be simply invaluable for our body.
Alena Yasneva was with you, bye everyone!
They are known to everyone, but how to make dried apricots at home is not clear to everyone, because there are several important details that will make cooking easier and reduce the loss of vitamins. Dried apricots are widely used in cooking; they are a priority for vegetarians and raw foodists, as well as for people susceptible to cardiovascular diseases, thanks to high content potassium and magnesium, so necessary for the human heart.
What is dried apricots?
The orange sunny miracle fruit apricot, divided into halves and separated from the seeds, is dried apricots, a dried fruit with a pronounced taste and aroma, retaining all the beneficial properties of fresh fruit.
What are dried apricots made from? Of course, from ordinary ripe apricots. The main thing is that they are not overripe (otherwise the dried fruit risks losing its shape during processing), and also that they are not underripe and hard, otherwise the dried apricots will turn out tough and tasteless. To get one kilogram of finished dried apricots, you need about four kilograms of fresh apricots.
It is difficult to name the best variety of apricots for dried apricots. All cultivated varieties, calibrations and hybrids are suitable. Only wild apricot is not suitable due to the excessive bitterness of the fruit, although some, on the contrary, like it this way unique taste(especially in uzvars). Fruits for dried apricots must be selected without damage and garden pests, it is ideal if they are assembled by hand, and not by shaking the tree.
Kaisa, are apricots also dried apricots?
No, these are separate types of dried fruits, although also made from apricots. Here's how they differ from each other:
- dried apricots are dried halves of pitted apricots, ideal for making fillings for pies and pancakes, desserts and as an additive to porridges;
- kaisa is whole fruit, from which the bone was carefully removed and dried whole, is good for preparing uzvar and for a raw food snack;
- apricot is a dried whole apricot fruit from which the pit has not been removed; This dried apricot retains the most vitamins, which is why it is so valued by doctors and nutritionists.
That's the whole difference, small, but culinary arts very weighty. If apricots can be nibbled as a snack, then you cannot add them to a pie due to the presence of a seed, but they are stored better, so they are indispensable on long hiking trips.
Home cooking options
How to make dried apricots so that they retain the maximum of nutrients and vitamins? There are only three options:
- The fastest and most convenient: drying in a dehydrator is a special machine for removing moisture from fresh vegetables and fruits.
- In the oven: an activity that requires time, regular observation and the oven always on, albeit on a low setting.
- In the old “grandfather’s” way: in the sun, the way our grandmothers and other ancestors dried apricots. A method that does not require an electricity bill, but at the same time takes up a lot of space. If you don’t have a spacious loggia or the balcony is so blocked that you can’t get through, it’s better to give up trying, so as not to curse everyone and everything later.
When the seeds are separated from the fruit, you should not throw them away: the kernels from them are an excellent substitute for almonds when preparing nut pies and other delicacies. You just need to dry them fresh air and pour into a glass jar.
How to dry apricots in a dehydrator?
First, prepare the apricots in the usual way: Wash, peel and place the apricot halves on the drying rack, cut sides down. We set the mode to 60 degrees and wait just a couple of hours. The aromatic dried fruit is ready! If you like drier dried apricots for long-term storage, then it is better to dry for at least three to four hours.
Some folk craftsmen recommend soaking halves of apricots for half an hour in lemon juice or a solution of citric acid (for 4 kg of apricots - 1 liter of water and 1 glass of lemon juice) before drying. Thus, making dried apricots at home like in a supermarket is as easy as shelling pears, the taste will be indistinguishable.
Oven drying
How to dry apricots for dried apricots if you don’t have a dehydrator? Of course, use the oven! The recipe for homemade dried apricots is simple: first, wash the fruits in hot water to remove possible germs, dry with a towel or paper napkins, cut into halves and remove seeds.
It is better to cover the baking sheets with parchment or cooking paper, on which to place the prepared apricots with the cuts facing up. It is important that the pieces of fruit do not touch; the heat of the oven should envelop the apricots on all sides, drying them evenly.
The heating temperature of the oven should be no more than 100 degrees, although some homemade experts recommend even less: no more than 60, citing the fact that this way the dried apricots dry more naturally, retain all the vitamins and are stored longer. In this mode, the apricots will dry for about four to five hours (if the temperature is 60 degrees, then all eight), they should wrinkle and darken a little. After cooling, experts recommend leaving the dried fruits in a wooden, unvarnished container for two to three weeks - then the dried apricots will gain even more rich taste and will retain its beneficial properties for a long time.
Sun drying
Grandmother’s advice on how to make dried apricots from apricots still lives in my memory: the prepared seedless fruits are boiled in slightly acidified citric acid water for only five minutes, drain in a colander to drain all the liquid. You can lay it on a linen towel to absorb excess moisture.
How to make dried apricots at home that look like oriental ones? Eat little secret: when the liquid has drained from the fruit, glue each half with the outer edges inward, giving the dried fruit an oval shape. Then place the prepared apricots on baking sheets or wooden trays and place them in direct sunlight.
Depending on the weather, the dried apricots will dry from a week to two; the presence of bright sun is of paramount importance: this way the apricots will dry quickly and not become moldy, which often happens in damp or rainy weather. To avoid damage to drying apricots by insects, cover the trays with them with gauze or mosquito nets. It is also not recommended to dry dried apricots in places with high gas pollution, that is, on a balcony facing the roadway: the fruit will absorb harmful elements floating in the air, such a product will be harmful to health.
How to dry apricots if there is no sun and it’s raining? There is no way out: only in the oven, otherwise original product It will begin to rot and all your efforts will be in vain.
How to properly store dried fruits?
After the dried apricots are ready, they should be transferred to glass jars or linen bags and stored in a dark place, well ventilated and inaccessible to insects. Can also be stored in a wooden container with a lid. Some housewives store dried apricots in plastic bags- this is not entirely correct, since in this case the dried fruit can become overheated and spoil. You can also store dried apricots in the refrigerator in the greens drawer.
What is important to know before buying dried apricots on the market
In supermarkets and food markets, you can often find beautiful sunny dried apricots with a bright, attractive appearance, which contrasts sharply with the inconspicuous dried apricots of grandmothers. Why such a contrast if both are dried apricots?
Grandmothers dry it in the sun at home, drying it to a tight state, without using anything else, they do not care about the appearance - only the useful properties. And in industrial scale Selling is important - that means appearance, so dried apricots in drying boxes are treated with sulfur dioxide (a gas to give dried fruits a bright color). Therefore, if you have a choice, it is better to buy homemade dried apricots, and if there are no options, then before eating, soak the poisonous yellow dried fruit in water for at least ten to fifteen minutes.
If dried apricots are soft to the touch, easily crushed and have a not very pleasant “wine” smell, then you should never take them: they are overly processed with chemicals and can only cause harm to your body.
Dried apricots are one of the favorite delicacies of many gourmets. All over the world this oriental sweetness widely used in cooking. It can be found in a wide variety of serving variations: both as a separate dessert dish and as an additive in cooking. various baked goods, cereal porridges, delicious desserts or drinks. Dried apricots are even used in the preparation of many meat dishes, salads and marinades. Undoubtedly, the obvious advantages of such fruits include an amazing sweet taste and aroma. In addition, this type of dried fruit perfectly satisfies hunger. However, the undeniable benefit of dried apricots is that it has a unique mineral and vitamin composition. Therefore, in many medical and fasting diets it is recommended as an alternative to sweets.
The benefits of dried fruits
Despite the fact that dried apricots contain relatively a small amount of vitamins, minerals and fiber content, they are considered clear leaders among many other dried fruits.
The benefit of dried apricots for the body is that it can compensate for the lack of many vital microelements. In addition, the organic acids and pectins included in its composition help remove heavy metals and radionuclides from the body.
What does the dried fruit contain?
The delicate pulp of dried apricots not only has an amazing taste, but also has an excellent chemical composition, thanks to which it is widely used in various diets and folk medicine. The main micro- and macroelements included in this amazing product and conditioning undeniable benefit dried apricots are:
- Vitamin A - helps normalize the functioning of the human reproductive system and has a beneficial effect on the condition of nails, hair and skin.
- B vitamins are necessary to optimize metabolism in the body and significantly improve brain activity.
- Vitamin C is the most powerful source of the body’s defenses, strengthens blood vessels and takes part in the production of collagen.
- Vitamin E - has a rejuvenating effect on the entire body as a whole, promotes the normal functioning of the reproductive organs.
- Vitamin PP - stabilizes cholesterol levels in the blood and normalizes protein balance in the body;
- Iron - necessary for anemia, has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous and circulatory systems.
- Potassium is necessary for the proper functioning of the heart and the stabilization of many vital important processes in organism.
- Calcium is an essential element that is necessary for the skeletal and muscle systems.
- Phosphorus - has a positive effect on brain function and supports vitality body.
- Copper - promotes the absorption of iron and affects skin turgor.
The surprising thing is that it is in dried apricots that the benefits and harms are more pronounced than the effects of fresh apricots on the body. This is explained by the fact that during the drying process the fruits undergo complete ripening and excess moisture evaporates. Similar chemical processes cause multiple concentrations of beneficial substances contained in fruits.
Properties of dried apricots
This variety dried fruits have excellent general strengthening qualities. Dried apricots can prevent and alleviate symptoms of anemia, some heart diseases and diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It is recommended for diabetes mellitus and as a means to improve the functioning of the organs of vision. If you regularly include dried apricots in your diet, the blood vessels will remain elastic, and cholesterol plaques will not form on their walls.
Dried apricots are an excellent remedy for preserving the beauty and youth of the skin. Since they are a source of essential micro- and macroelements, their use not only contributes to the overall health of the body, but also makes hair and nails stronger. Therefore, the benefits of dried apricots become obvious.
Harm and unwanted consequences
However, there are opinions that dried apricots can harm the body. Excessive use dried apricot fruits can cause digestive system disorders. Ideally, their use should not exceed 4-6 pieces per day.
In addition, if only these dried fruits are present in the diet, then the body may experience a deficiency of other essential substances. Therefore, to ensure the normal functioning of all organs and systems, it is advisable to regularly eat (in addition to dried apricots) raisins, nuts, honey, and lemons. The benefits of these products, as well as useful qualities dried apricots have been known to mankind since time immemorial.
Another limitation for consuming dried apricots is their intolerance. Some people suffer from various allergies to this product.
Do not forget that any dried fruits are foods with a high glucose content. This means that people with diabetes should take them with caution. Therefore, the benefits and harms of dried apricots for the body are relative concepts for many people. In such cases, dried apricot will only be truly beneficial if consumed in very small quantities.
The calorie content of dried apricots is approximately 240 kcal (per 100 g of dried fruit).
Secrets of choice
In order for dried fruits to bring the expected healing effect, they must be chosen correctly. But how to do that? After all, there are so many different dried fruits on the shelves: from inconspicuous and small to bright, fatty and juicy.
Oddly enough, it is the beautiful, bright orange and fleshy dried apricots that can turn out to be absolutely unhealthy and even dangerous for the body. Usually, fruits acquire an excellent presentation as a result of chemical processing.
The “correct” dried apricots, the benefits of which are so obvious, usually have a completely inconspicuous appearance. The color of the dried fruit, which has not been subjected to any processing, is close to natural, and completely opaque. During the process natural drying a slight grayish tint appears on the surface of the dried apricots, and the flesh becomes moderately hard and elastic.
Using dried apricots in cooking
Dried apricots are used everywhere in cooking. Various jelly, compotes and fruit drinks are prepared from them. Dried apricots (benefit and harm to the body are not taken into account in this case) are widely used in the preparation of a wide variety of sweets, desserts and confectionery.
IN eastern countries this dried fruit crushed and added to various seasonings, spicy mixtures. Such “cocktails” are used in preparing dishes from meat, poultry and fish, making the dishes more aromatic and acquiring a specific sour-sweet taste.
Dried apricots are added to fermented milk dishes and desserts, fruit salads and various cereals. They even cook from it dietary soups. You can often find cooking recipes that recommend baking, stewing or boiling these oriental dried fruits. They go well with other berries, fruits and nuts, which is why dried apricots are of inexhaustible interest to culinary experts.
Dried fruits in the diet
In eastern countries, not only the beneficial qualities of dried fruits, but also their ability to satisfy hunger have long been valued. Therefore, merchants and sailors, going on long journeys, always took aromatic dried apricots with them. This allowed me to replenish my diet. useful elements and save supplies. Nowadays, such qualities have not lost their relevance, so dried apricots are widely used in various diet methods.
Followers of a healthy lifestyle and adherents of various diets have long appreciated the benefits of raisins, prunes, and dried apricots. It is not for nothing that such mixtures are an integral part of therapeutic and dietary nutrition.
In tandem with raisins
If we consider dried fruits separately, then each of them will differ in its own set of necessary substances and have different effects on the body. For example, the uniqueness of raisins is that they have good laxative qualities, so they are often recommended for constipation. In addition, white and black have a beneficial effect on work nervous system, increases hemoglobin and is useful for stomach ailments. Therefore, in a combination of raisins and dried apricots, the benefits of the healing mixture become even more pronounced. When added to culinary dish dried fruits complement each other taste qualities and beneficial properties.
Prunes and dried apricots
Excellent combination prunes and dried apricots gives no less effective results. Dried fruits of certain varieties of plum trees help normalize blood pressure and have a beneficial effect on blood composition and the condition of the skin. They are recommended as a means for the prevention of cancer. Since, in addition to some laxative effect, they also have a diuretic, it is believed that the regular presence of a mixture of dried apricots and prunes in the diet will be beneficial for people who have a tendency to develop edema.
Summarize
The regular presence of various dried fruits in the diet has a beneficial effect on the entire body as a whole. However, when choosing the “right” dried fruits, you should pay attention to the appearance of the fruits: the brighter and more beautiful the color, the greater the likelihood of buying a processed product. chemicals. Such dried fruits should not be consumed. To experience all the benefits of dried apricots, purchase only natural product. Eat right and be healthy!
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