Apricots. Beneficial features. Dried apricots. Apricots and dried apricots: the difference. Dried apricots, pitted and pitted

For men

Men are always concerned about the health of their “apparatus”. Dried apricot containing magnesium and potassium in high concentration, calcium and trace elements in large proportion to specific gravity, will help improve health male body, debug the operation of all its systems, which means this will also affect potency.

For the female body

For women, dried apricots, apricots and kaisa should be constantly present on the table and included in the daily menu. They have so much positive properties and such a unique chemical composition that it will have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the entire female body:

• Vitamin A will heal your eyes and improve your vision;
• the iron contained in the fruits will serve to prevent iron deficiency anemia;
• fiber and pectins will help get rid of constipation and improve the smooth functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• high potassium and magnesium content will help the functioning of the heart and blood vessels;
• fruit acids will make the skin fresh and radiant;

How to dry apricots at home

What you make with your own hands is always much tastier and of higher quality than what you buy in a store or at the market. At home you can make apricots, dried apricots or kaisa, and maybe a delicious ashtak in several ways:

• in the oven of a gas or electric stove;
• in a special electric dryer for fruits and vegetables;
• in a natural way - in the air

In any of these methods there is a preparatory stage:

• select ripe, undamaged, healthy fruits;
• rinse them thoroughly with running water;
• Immerse them in boiling water for a few minutes (3-5 minutes is enough). This procedure will remove unnecessary bacteria, mold and fungi that are invisible to the eye, but which will be undesirable for long-term storage;
• to protect yourself even more, you can place the fruits in the solution for 10 minutes citric acid(1 teaspoon per liter);
• for apricots, the seeds do not need to be removed;
• for dried apricots, divide the fruits in half and remove the pit;
• for kaisa, carefully remove the pit from a whole apricot;
• for ashtak, remove the pit from a whole apricot, split it and after drying, place the kernel back

After this stage, place the fruits in the oven in the drying mode or in an electric dryer in the appropriate mode. Typically drying lasts 5-6 hours. If you have the opportunity to place apricots outdoors, then protect them from insects and dirt. The drying process in this case will last several days, possibly a week, depending on weather conditions.

Selecting a product when purchasing

When buying dried apricots in any variety, you should strive to purchase the best possible natural product. Only apricots can be bought with confidence - they are a natural product. But even then, pay attention to the quality - it should not be damaged by insects - this is a sign that it was stored in bad conditions or the storage period has expired.

Dried apricots, kaisa, ashtak. When purchasing them, choose dry, inconspicuous, natural-colored fruits. If the fruits have an oily, beautiful, bright yellow or orange surface, they have been chemically treated. It is not worth buying them for children. Think about your health too. Nowadays in big cities there are special ecological stores clean products, where dried apricots and kaisa are sold with a guarantee of natural purity. The products there may be more expensive, but they are safer.

Storage rules at home

If you have prepared a lot of dried apricots or purchased a large supply in the store, then follow the rules for storing them:

• place the product in a glass or plastic container with a sealed lid - there will be no access to oxygen;
• The storage room must be dry to avoid mold;
• optimal room temperature 10-20˚С;
• Avoid direct sunlight on the product, now they will only damage it;
• Not a large number of The product can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container

IN the right conditions Dried apricots, apricots, and kaisa can be stored for a year.

About harm and contraindications

Dried apricots are not particularly harmful or dangerous. But some points need to be remembered.

Patients with diabetes should eat dried apricots, apricots, and kaisa with caution. The high sugar content in it can be harmful rather than beneficial.

Dried apricots, apricots, and kaisa tend to lower blood pressure. Hypotonic patients need to take this into account and approach this product “wisely”

Let's not forget about the chemical reagents that were used to treat the fruits during the drying process. If you dried apricots yourself, there is nothing to fear. If you purchased the “right” ones, too.

It's hard to find a person who doesn't like apricots. These aromatic fruits have many beneficial properties and excellent taste. If fresh fruits can be eaten only in summer, then dried apricots are available all year round. If desired, you can prepare them yourself at home.

When drying apricots, up to 90% of the beneficial properties of the fruit are preserved. Moreover, after removing the water, these fruits become even more useful, since the content of vitamins and microelements in 100 g of products increases three times. Fragrant fruits have a rich chemical composition, can quickly satisfy hunger and have great taste. In order to satisfy an adult's need for potassium, iron and beta-carotene, you need to eat only 100-150 g of dried fruits per day.

Regular consumption of dried apricots helps with heart failure, reduces the risks of heart attack and stroke, maintains vascular tone, increases immunity and endurance of the body. Just a few fruits a day will help with chronic constipation and intestinal obstruction.

Due to their high iron content, dried apricots are recommended for people suffering from anemia and thyroid diseases.

But diabetics should not consume the product, since dried apricots contain a large amount of sugar. These dried fruits should not be eaten with protein foods.

Depending on the harvesting method, there are several types of dried apricot:

• apricots - small whole fruits with a seed left;
• kaisa - a whole apricot, from which, before drying, the pit is removed through a hole near the stalk, minimally disturbing the integrity;
• dried apricots - dried apricot halves without seeds. Some experts distinguish the product from cut and broken fruits.

All of the listed types of dried fruits have almost the same composition and are useful for humans. But according to experts, apricots are more healing, as they reach readiness. naturally- on the tree. In order for such fruits to turn into dried fruits, they are left hanging on the branches until completely dehydrated. Uryuk is used in the treatment of thrombosis, tumor formations, migraines and colds.

Shops and markets offer a wide range of dried fruits, but you cannot be completely sure that the products are safe. Modern manufacturers, trying to give dried fruits a marketable appearance and ensure long-term preservation, use for processing chemical substances. To prevent dried apricots from losing their bright orange color when dried, they are treated with sulfur dioxide.

Although this method is allowed by technology, it is not entirely safe. If consumed, this product may cause allergic reactions and cause nervous disorders. When choosing dried apricots, you should give preference not to bright shiny specimens, but to pale yellow, dark brown or grayish ones.

To obtain environmentally friendly product, dried apricots can be prepared at home. This process is quite labor-intensive, but it produces safe and delicious dried fruits, which can be safely given to children and the sick.

To obtain a quality product great importance has a choice suitable variety apricots For dried apricots, large, not too juicy fruits with dense pulp and an easily separated pit are suitable. The variety should have a high sugar content. Typically, Central Asian varieties have such characteristics, but in the middle zone you can choose suitable ones. When dried, the weight of properly selected apricots is reduced by 5-6 times.

The harvest is harvested by hand, paying attention only to fully ripened, undamaged fruits. Then the apricots are thoroughly washed in running water so that the finished dried fruits can be consumed unwashed. Excess moisture kills some useful substances.

The fruits are carefully divided into two halves and the pit is removed. To preserve color, apricots are pre-treated: the prepared fruit halves are placed in a colander and dipped in boiling water for a few minutes, then laid out on a clean cloth or gauze to drain off excess moisture.

There is another way to preserve the brightness of dried apricot fruits. The washed specimens are placed for 15 minutes in a solution of citric acid, prepared at the rate of one teaspoon per liter of water.

The most natural and gentle option for preparing dried apricots is drying them in natural conditions, in the sun and air. This is suitable for housewives who have a private house or cottage. You should choose a well-ventilated, unshaded place located far from the road. The weather needs to be hot and dry.

The prepared apricot slices are placed on the grill with the cuts facing up so that individual pieces do not stick to each other. The fruits are kept in the hot sun for 3-4 days, brought into the house at night and in bad weather. When the pieces reduce in size and wither, they are placed closer to each other and kept in the shade until completely dry.

The disadvantage of this method is the accessibility of dried apricots to ants and flies. To prevent crawling insects from damaging the product, apricots are placed on an elevated surface, for example, on a small table, the legs of which are immersed in water. To protect the slices from flies, cover them with a layer of gauze.

This method is suitable for those who do not have a suitable place to dry outside. Cooking dried apricots in the oven is not affected by weather conditions, and dried fruits are obtained much faster.

Preparing apricots is the same as when drying them outside. The slices treated with steam or lemon solution are placed on a baking sheet with the cuts facing up, making sure that they do not touch.

Dried apricots are ready within eight hours at a temperature of about 70 degrees. The oven door must be kept ajar. Towards the end of drying, the temperature is reduced to 40 degrees. Ready dried fruits put in wooden boxes and store for about a month in the dark at room temperature to stabilize humidity.

To help modern housewives There are many useful gadgets on offer. One such device is an electric fruit and vegetable dryer. Such devices are equipped with a powerful heater, fan, thermostat, and convenient trays. In just one day you can get a large batch of excellent dried apricots.

Features of working with the device are indicated in the instructions. Apricots for drying are prepared in the same way as when drying in the sun or in the oven. Drying time ranges from 8 to 12 hours. At the beginning and end of the process, set the temperature to 45-50 degrees, in the middle - bring it to 60.

You can determine the readiness of dried pitted apricots by the following indicators:

Dried fruits should be stored in fabric bags suspended in a ventilated area. The air temperature should not exceed 10 degrees. Also used for storage glass jars or wooden boxes. In this case, the product must be ventilated periodically.

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 the high content of 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 an apricot can be nibbled as a snack, then you cannot add it to a pie due to the presence of a seed, but it is stored better, so it can be stored for long periods of time. hiking trips irreplaceable.

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 prefer drier dried apricots for long-term storage, then it is better to dry them 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 before drying (for 4 kg of apricots - 1 liter of water and 1 glass lemon juice). 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 acquire an even richer taste and retain their beneficial properties for a long time.

Sun drying

Grandmother’s advice on how to make dried apricots from apricots still lives in the memory: prepared seedless fruits are boiled in water slightly acidified with citric acid for only five minutes, drained 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 oval shape dried fruit 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, brightly colored dried apricots. attractive looking, 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 don’t care appearance- only 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 apricot, although inferior in content of nutrients to fresh apricot, still contains more of them than jam, jam or compote. Apricots are perishable fruits, drying is one of the the best ways their preservation, and does not require large financial expenditures.

CHOOSE APRICOTS FOR DRINKED DRAINS

Apricots are perishable fruits, drying is one of the best ways to preserve them

Before you start drying apricots, you should decide what you want to get in the end. Does the question seem strange? Naturally, dried apricots. Do you know what dried apricot is actually called, and dried apricots are just one of its varieties.

The name depends on the integrity of the fruit and its size. Small dried apricots with pits are called apricots, large ones are called shepala. If the seed is squeezed out through the hole near the stalk with minimal disruption of the fruit, then when dried, the result is kaisa. And if individual apricot halves are dried, naturally without pits, then this is dried apricots. Connoisseurs distinguish between a product made from cut fruits and those broken without the help of a knife.

Video about homemade dried apricots

But it is not customary to distinguish ready-made dried apricots by what variety they are made from.

However, when choosing apricots suitable for obtaining a quality product, the variety is of great importance. For dried apricots, large, not too juicy fruits with dense pulp and a high sugar content are suitable; the stone should be easy to remove. Many Central Asian varieties have such qualities, some of which contain more than 20% sugar, but even in the middle zone you can choose suitable ones with sufficient sugar content of about 10%. The weight of properly selected, dense apricots is reduced by 5-6 times when dried.

Fully ripe, undamaged fruits collected from the tree are selected; the rejected ones can be dried in the form of apricots or sear. It is advisable to wash the apricots intended for dried apricots so thoroughly that the finished dried fruit can be consumed unwashed, otherwise it will lose some of its nutrients. The fruit is divided into halves and the pit is removed.

The fruit is divided into halves and the pit is removed.

Dried apricots - PRESERVING THE COLOR

In terms of vitamin content, dried apricots are somewhat poorer than apricots, but this one healthy treats there is another advantage: it can be given a very beautiful, rich, amber color. When producing a commercial product, the effect is usually achieved by treating prepared apricots with sulfur dioxide. The method, although prescribed by technology, is considered not entirely environmentally friendly. In order to obtain dried apricots at home, we can recommend more acceptable ways to preserve color.

If the bright appearance of the future dried apricot is important to the manufacturer, then before drying, he puts the prepared apricot halves in a colander and keeps it over steam for 5 - 10 minutes, depending on the hardness of the fruit; in some cases, instead of steaming, the fruit can even be boiled for 5 minutes. After this, place the apricots on a clean cloth to drain off excess moisture. The dried fruit is not as spectacular as when processed with sulfur, but still brighter than dull, not steamed dried apricots.

To preserve color, you can soak washed fruits in a solution of citric acid.

Also, to preserve color, you can soak washed fruits in a solution of citric acid, prepared at the rate of 1 teaspoon per liter of water.

SUN'S RAYS - THE BEST ASSISTANT IN MANUFACTURING Apricots

The most gentle option that gives the most healthy dried fruits- drying the fruits directly on the tree, this is how apricots are obtained from varieties suitable for this. It is also advisable to dry dried apricots in the most natural conditions possible; this requires a ventilated, unshaded place (yard, balcony or roof) and hot sunny weather. There should be no road with exhaust gases or dust nearby.

The halves of the fruits are first kept in the shade, preferably in the wind or draft, after 3 - 4 hours they are laid out with cuts up, separately, so that they do not stick together, on wooden grids or folded into willow wickers and exposed to the sun. You can use a metal grid, but be sure to lay a thin cloth on it. At night, the workpieces are removed indoors, the same in case of temporary bad weather. After a few days, the slices will wilt, shrink in size and become non-sticky, then they can be arranged more closely. Depending on the temperature and properties of the fruit, drying lasts one to two weeks.

It is advisable to dry dried apricots in the most natural conditions possible.

Some manufacturers string apricot halves onto a thread and pull it horizontal position. If the fruits are not too juicy and dense enough so as not to bunch up and stick together, then this method is acceptable. Softer apricots can be strung on twigs or thin wooden skewers, and placed at an angle, inserting one end into specially drilled holes. In areas where winds often blow in hot weather, fruits strung on threads or twigs dry out even in the shade.

A problem that often accompanies the “old-fashioned” method is insects - ants and flies. Practitioners advise frequently changing the location of the product in order to “deceive” the ants, but this requires a large available area and constant monitoring. It is easier to place the apricot on a table whose legs are immersed in bowls of water. To protect against flies, the fruits can be covered with gauze; if the sun is hot enough, this is acceptable.

Another option is to adapt an old double window frame for a solar dryer, replacing the glass with a plastic mesh. Such a device, suspended in a horizontal position, provides high-quality drying and protection from insects.

HOW TO COOK DRIED FRUITS FROM APRICOT IN A DRYER OR OVEN

For those who do not have a suitable area for solar drying of fruits or prefer to receive a batch of dried apricots within one day, it is possible to use household appliances. The best modern dryers are equipped with a powerful heater, a fan, a tray system that increases the usable area, and a thermostat. Manufacturers are constantly improving their products, as a result, the process of preparing dried fruits is becoming more and more simple and convenient, and the result is of higher quality.

Place the slices on trays separately so that they do not stick together.

Features of working with one or another device are indicated in the attached instructions, but you need to take into account the basic rules for handling apricots. Place the slices on trays separately so that they do not stick together. During the first and last 2 - 3 hours, set the temperature to 45 - 50 ° C, in the middle of the process - up to 60 ° C. Drying duration is 8 - 10, less often - up to 12 hours.

If you don’t have a special dryer, you can successfully use regular oven, but at the same time you have to keep the process under constant control. Due to the lack of ventilation, the oven is maintained at a higher temperature, 60 - 65 °C, and the door is opened slightly from time to time to remove moisture; towards the end of drying, the temperature is lowered slightly. From the moment they are half-ready, you need to monitor the condition of the fruit so as not to dry them out.

Video about making dried apricots at home

HOW TO DETERMINE THE READINESS OF DRINKED DRAINS?

To find out that your dried apricots are ready, just check them according to three indicators:

1. To the touch. In properly dried dried apricots, about 10% of the original amount of water remains, it is dry, but elastic, pleasant to the touch and a little heavier than overdried dried apricots - hard, making a dry, hard sound when tapped.
2. Place in water. True indicator good quality- ability to swell in hot water. This product retains about 30% of the vitamins contained in fresh apricot and up to 80% of the original minerals.
3. By color. Dried apricots prepared without chemical treatment are moderately yellow, orange or dull brown, too saturated color is not an indicator of quality and does not attract informed consumers.

Dried apricots cooked without chemical treatment are moderately yellow, orange or dull brown.

Sometimes when home cooking Apricot slices dry unevenly. To level them, they are placed for several days in a closed cardboard box or wooden vessel for the so-called “sweating”, while the moisture is evenly distributed throughout the entire mass of the product. Dried apricots can be stored in the same boxes or wooden jars, placed in a cool, dry room, or hung in a bag made of thick fabric. High-quality dried apricots can be stored for up to two years.

Many people know what is obtained from apricots during the drying process. But such dried fruits as apricots, kaisa, ashtak and shepala are almost unknown to our compatriots, and yet all the dried fruits listed are also obtained from apricots. Today we will try to clarify what apricot is, how it differs from other apricot products and how it can be used for health benefits.

What is this?

Uryuk is a naturally dried apricot fruit from which the pit has not been extracted. The homeland of dried fruit is the countries of Central Asia: Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan - in these parts fresh apricot fruits, most suitable for drying in this way, are called “apricots”. At home, this fruit is highly revered and considered a gift from God.

How do you get apricots?

So, we figured out what a dried apricot with a pit is called. Apricots are obtained from apricots in the most natural, harmless way - in the process of natural drying on or special drying in the shade, and no special substances or drying devices are used. Sometimes the fruits remain until the last moment and dry right on the branches, in which case they just need to be collected in time.

Did you know?The apricot tree has long been shrouded in numerous myths and legends. So, according to the biblical version, the apricot tree was the only one that survived the Great Flood. According to another legend, apricot fruits are the children of the sun who descended from the sky. There is also a beautiful myth that the apricot is the plum that the Firebird ate.

You can also collect ripe, sweet, elastic fruits and dry them under the scorching sun or in the shade on special trays or racks. Usually, small varieties of apricots, in which the pit is difficult to separate from the pulp, are suitable for preparing this dried fruit. The main condition is a high level, which will make the final sweet. However, large sweet varieties can also be used.

Differences from dried apricots and kaisa

The difference between apricots and kaisa, ashtak, sheptaly and dried apricots lies in the features of the drying technology:

1. Dried apricots are obtained through the process of drying, in which the fruits are cut into two halves and the pit is removed.
2. When preparing kaisa, the pit is removed through a small hole in the apricot, leaving space inside.
3. Sheptala is a dried apricot.
4. Ashtak is getting ready in the following way: the pit is removed from the fresh fruit, it is dried, and at the end of the process the pit is returned. It is believed that this trick gives the dried fruit a unique piquant taste.
5. To obtain apricots, fresh fruits and seeds are dried naturally.

Composition and calorie content

As mentioned earlier, due to the peculiarities of preparation, this dried fruit does not lose any nutrients at all, but on the contrary, it becomes rich in their concentration.
So, 100 g of apricots contain the following vitamins and nutrients:

• vitamins A, E;
• macro- and microelements: , ;
• beta-carotene;
• 17 g dietary fiber;
• 18 g water;
• as well as saturated fatty acids, organic acids, disaccharides and polysaccharides.

About the benefits of use

A rich range of useful substances is successfully used to maintain health and good condition in children, as well as in childhood.

For children

By adding this dried fruit to your children's diet, you can insure yourself against the following ailments:

• problems with, which is especially important during intensive study;
• th and infections;
• and digestive problems.

In cooking

The use of apricots in cooking is very diverse.
Thus, dried fruit can serve as a savory addition in the following dishes:

• meat and vegetable soups, side dishes; in Uzbekistan, dried apricot with pit is mandatory ingredient for cooking;
• As a filling, apricots are added to baked goods: pies and pies, samsa, pancakes;
• jams and preserves are made from it;
• Uzvars and infusions are made from apricots.

Did you know?In the countries of Central Asia, apricot pits are never thrown away, but are used to prepare a popular delicacy called« shurdanak» . To do this, the fruit seeds are baked in ash with the addition of. From high temperature they open up, which indicates they are ready to eat.

Of course, dried fruit can be consumed without adding to dishes, but as an independent treat with herbal teas, and baking.

In cosmetology

By regularly consuming apricots, you can put your condition in order. However, dried fruit is also used topically in care products:

1. So, apricots can be added to masks for moisturizing and toning. Dried fruit goes well with, oatmeal, egg yolk or cottage cheese. Before use, you can steam it for a few minutes to soften it.
2. Dried fruit can also be used for soap making at home. The finished product will have a beautiful golden-pink hue and a pleasant smell.
3. To prepare the scrub, you can use apricot seeds, crushed in a coffee grinder. However, remember that the scrub turns out to be quite rough and is only suitable for caring for feet, but not for delicate ones.

In medicine

One of the main macroelements in apricots is potassium (K) - a conductor of nerve impulses at the cellular level, due to which dried fruit is used for the following ailments:

• high blood pressure;
• arrhythmias;
• increased formation of edema;
• other disorders of functioning and blood vessels.

In dietetics

Despite high calorie content, this product is successfully used as a dietary supplement for people who want to normalize their weight. Dried fruit has the ability to burn fat deposits. And since even a small handful of this dried fruit can satiate well, you won’t be able to overeat it and you can forget about the feeling for a long time. If you decide to refuse white sugar, dried apricot can be a great healthy alternative. However, if you buy store-bought mixtures from dried fruits, check the composition - often manufacturers add sugar to them, which means you should not expect any benefits from this.

Selecting a product when purchasing

As we understand, the benefits of apricots are enormous, but choosing the wrong dried fruit can cause damage and harm to your condition. When choosing a product, keep the following criteria in mind:

1. Color. This is the main criterion for choosing a quality product. The color should be dark brown, brown, with a slight coating, as natural as possible. Avoid bright, attractive dried fruits - they have been chemically processed. Remember what apricots that are left hanging on the tree look like in the fall - this is the color a real apricot should have.
2. Consistency. Naturally dried apricots are slightly tough and firm to the touch. It needs to be steamed before use. By the way, do not pour the water in which the dried fruit soaks into the sink - it can be used as an immunostimulating agent in the autumn-winter period.
it is possible at a temperature of about 20 ° C - in this case it will be usable for up to 2 months. If you lower the temperature to 10 ° C (for example, by placing the workpiece in and eliminating any contraindications before enjoying the dried fruit. family.