APRICOT
Apricot belongs to the stone fruit family that also includes peach, plum, and cherry. Stone family means simply that the seed is surrounded by a very hard shell, and the seed itself contains a strong flavor-producing enzyme that releases cyanide. The flesh of stone fruits is very aromatic, and they don't get sweeter after harvest, although they do develop soft texture and some extra aromas. For this reason, you need to get fresh stone fruits, in season, and avoid storing them in the cold as they will become mealy and lose some of their nice flavor. The best season for apricots is from May to August, in other words, apricots are real summer fruits. However, fresh fruits are usually imported from warmer countries during the other months of the year.
Their beautiful colors reveal also something about their nutritional value, as they carry a substantial amount of vitamin A. They also have a good amount of vitamin C, as many other fruits, and give you a bit of dietary fibers as well. Vitamin A and C are good anti-oxidants, and they can therefore prevent the development of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin A is also necessary to keep your eye night vision in trim.
Apricots originate from China, and they came to Europe during the ancient times through Armenia. Hence their scientific name: Prunus armeniaca. United States got their apricot trees from Europe, more closely from the Spanish, and they became very popular in the hot climate of California. Apricots are best used and consumed when fresh, although they can also be cooked and used in pastries, or processed into jams. Some companies also make apricot brandies and liqueurs. The sweet flavor of apricots can also be conserved by drying the fruit in the sun for several days, until the water content has been reduced by about four-fold. The reason for all this processing of apricots is simply that they are best as fresh and can't stand long travels and storages.
When you buy apricots, look for them when they are in season - that is, May to September - unless you are blessed with living in a place where apricots are harvested throughout the year. A few things to remember with apricots is that they should be a little soft; hard fruits have not been allowed to ripen on the tree and they will not taste as good. Also, look for the fruits with a nice orange color. Apricots that are yellow or close to white should not be purchased as they are barely edible and usually quite hard.
If you buy dried apricots, you should be aware that they are normally treated with sulfur dioxide gas that preserves their aroma and color. The gas is usually encoded by E220 label. However there are also untreated dry apricots available, and you can identify them by their brown color.
Just out of curiosity, it can be mentioned that in China, the land where the apricots come from, these fruits were one of the fruits that were used in education. The famous Confucius used to polemicize with his students surrounded by apricot wood or trees. Another curious fact is that some soldiers who drive tanks don't eat apricots from superstition - apparently, the famous Sherman tanks were susceptible to the presence of apricot cans: they broke down.
Apricots are good with almonds, cherries, hazelnuts, pistachios, oranges, pineapples and some other exotic fruits. Their flavor can be further accentuated with some liqueurs like Grand Marnier, Cognac, or Cointreau. Depending on their inherent level of sweetness and acidity, they can be complemented with some sugar or lemon juice, respectively.