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16 Interesting Facts About Apricots

The delicious fruit apricots are popular in all regions where they grow. Sweet and juicy, they taste like no other gifts of nature, but they can be eaten fresh with the same pleasure, as well as used for making compotes, pies, and other culinary delights. The only pity is that it is impossible to get them in winter, so in the summer you should not miss the chance to eat them.

  1. Botanically, they are related to plums.
  2. Apricots are not very rich in nutrients, but they are low in calories, which makes them a dietary product.
  3. When dried, they practically do not lose nutrients.
  4. Apricot pits may well serve as a substitute for bitter almonds. It is even used as a raw material for the production of marzipan.
  5. Dried apricot without pits is called “dried apricots”, with pits – “apricots”, and with the pits, they pulled out, opened, took out the kernel, and put it back inside the fruit – “ashtak-pashtak”.
  6. Most of the world’s apricots are grown in Turkey.
  7. Siberian apricots grow in a very harsh climate, and calmly endure frosts of -40-45 degrees. True, their small, tough, and sour fruits can only be considered edible. They are included in the Red Book of Buryatia.
  8. It is still unknown where apricots first appeared on the Earth.
  9. There are many hybrids of apricot with a plum in the world, and breeders regularly develop new varieties.
  10. A hybrid of cherry plum and apricot is called “black apricot”.
  11. The warmer and sunnier climates these fruits grow, the more sweet and juicy they are.
  12. 100 grams of dried apricots contains 10-12 times more calories than 100 grams of fresh apricots.
  13. This fruit first came to Europe when Alexander the Great brought it from the East from his campaigns.
  14. In some European countries, it is called the “Armenian apple”.
  15. The first reliable mention of apricot as an edible fruit is about 6000 years old.
  16. With diabetes, you cannot eat these fruits, alas.
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Chicken Fillet in Puff Pastry with Apricots and Gorgonzola

With these delicious chicken fillets in puff pastry, you can cut a fine figure at any party or other celebration for your guests, because this ingenious recipe is very simple despite everything. It is characterized by a wide variety of flavor components.

Especially on festive days, you want to surprise your friends and acquaintances with something special. But this doesn’t have to be complicated at all. This chicken fillet in puff pastry is sophisticated but still captivates with its simplicity and is also delicious and extremely delicate. This is evoked by the tender chicken fillets, sweet apricots, and tangy gorgonzola wrapped in a crispy puff pastry.

Ingredients for 4 persons

– 4 rectangular sheets of frozen puff pastry
– 200 grams of Gorgonzola
– 4 apricots
– 800 g chicken fillet
– 1 egg
– some olive oil for frying
– Salt; pepper
– some breadcrumbs

Preparation

Place the four sheets of puff pastry on a baking tray lined with baking paper so that they can defrost a little. Then fry the chicken fillets (there should be four chicken fillets, each weighing 200 g) in a pan with hot olive oil. Season the chicken fillets on both sides with salt and pepper.
After roasting, spread the chicken fillets on the puff pastry. However, this should be sprinkled with the breadcrumbs beforehand.

Then cover the chicken fillets with the apricots and the gorgonzola. Then a pocket must be formed from the puff pastry that completely encloses the chicken fillets. Press down well with your fingers so that no gorgonzola can spill out. Finally, brush the edges of the puff pastry pockets with the egg. You should whisk it up a little first.

The puff pastry pockets then have to go in the oven for 25 minutes.
A dry red wine is recommended as a drink.

Useful additional knowledge

A delicious salad dressing for leafy salads can be made from the remaining apricots. Simply puree the remaining apricots from the can. Then season them with mustard, vinegar, and oil. A salad can be a delicious and healthy accompaniment to the chicken fillets in puff pastry. Roasted potatoes or delicious almond rice also go well with this. This can easily be fried a little in hot butter with roasted almonds. This gives a particularly delicious aroma.

Fresh apricots can also be used in summer, but you should skin them beforehand. If you want to make a dressing from these apricots, you should add a little sugar.

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Dried Apricots: Nutrients, Benefits and How to Best Taste Them

Dried apricots are rich in important nutrients and are real all-rounders. Here you can find out why dried fruit is so healthy and what you should look out for when buying it.

Dried apricots as a source of nutrients

Apricots are healthy fruits anyway. However, after they have been dried, the nutrient content is up to five times higher. Because when the water is removed, the mineral concentration in the fruit also increases.

Dried apricots contain large amounts of important vitamins and minerals:
Vitamin A (retinol) is good for your bones, eyes, skin and mucous membranes. The dried fruits contain so much of it that just three pieces of them can cover a large part of your daily requirement. They also contain a lot of beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A (hence also called provitamin A). It is not only responsible for the bright orange color of apricots, but is also converted into vitamin A in the body.
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) promotes concentration and the body’s own oxygen supply. It stimulates the metabolism and thus ensures that you feel fit. Dried apricots also contain many other B vitamins (vitamins B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6).
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is of great importance for our immune system. It also strengthens the connective tissue and ensures that iron is better absorbed in the intestine.
Potassium regulates blood pressure and cell growth. It also promotes muscle growth, which is why the mineral is very important for athletes. Hardly any food contains as much potassium as dried apricots.
Iron is important for the immune system, energy metabolism and oxygen transport. Women in particular often suffer from iron deficiency.

Where do the dried fruits come from?

The fruits probably originally come from Armenia, which is also indicated by the Latin name Prunus armeniaca. The apricots we eat are mainly grown in Turkey, Uzbekistan, Iran and Italy. Depending on the region, they are in season between May and September. The dried apricots are sold all year round and over 90% of them come from the Malatya region of Turkey. There the apricots are harvested, pitted and dried under the sun.

When buying, you should make sure that your apricots are organic. Then they were not sulphurized. You can tell by the color, because unsulphured apricots are brownish and no longer bright orange. Although the addition of sulfur preserves the beautiful color of the fruit, it destroys vitamins and can be harmful to health. The addition of sulfur is particularly dangerous for asthmatics, as it can trigger asthma attacks.

Enjoy dried apricots in many ways

The dried fruits can refine many dishes. For example, you can mix them in your muesli or use them in muesli bars. But they also taste good in a colorful salad with fresh vegetables and nuts.

In oriental cuisine, dried apricots are used not only for sweet but also for savory dishes, such as in a delicious couscous salad. Of course, the dried fruits are also suitable as a snack between meals and are therefore an alternative to unhealthy sweets. The snack is often popular with athletes in particular because it provides energy and fills you up. Like other dried fruits, dried apricots are also considered a suitable food during a detox regimen.

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