Apricot

{{short description|Cultivated fruit}} {{good article}} {{About|the trees and their fruit}} {{use American English|date=March 2022}} {{Automatic taxobox |name = Apricot |image = Apricot and cross section.jpg |image_caption = Apricot and its cross-section |taxon = Prunus sect. Armeniaca |authority = (Scop.) Koch |subdivision_ranks = Species |subdivision = See text. |type_species = ''Prunus armeniaca'' <small>L.</small> |}}

An '''apricot''' ({{IPAc-en|us|ˈ|æ|p|ɹ|ɪ|k|ɒ|t|audio=En-us-apricot-2.ogg}}, {{IPAc-en|uk|ˈ|eɪ|p|ɹ|ɪ|k|ɒ|t|audio=En-uk-apricot.ogg}}) is a fruit, or the tree that bears the fruit, of several species in the genus ''Prunus''. Usually an apricot is from the species ''Prunus armeniaca'', but the fruits of the other species in ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca'' are also called apricots.<ref name="Shi 2013">{{cite journal |last1=Shi |first1=Shuo |last2=Li |first2=Jinlu |last3=Sun |first3=Jiahui |last4=Yu |first4=Jing |last5=Zhou |first5=Shiliang |date=2013 |title=Phylogeny and classification of ''Prunus sensu lato'' (Rosaceae) |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jipb.12095 |journal=Journal of Integrative Plant Biology |volume=55 |issue=11 |pages=1069–1079 |doi=10.1111/jipb.12095 |pmid=23945216 |bibcode=2013JIPB...55.1069S |access-date=16 February 2021 |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128010507/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jipb.12095 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 2023, world production of apricots was 3.7 million tonnes, led by Turkey with 20% of the total.<ref name="faostat" />

''Prunus armeniaca'' was domesticated in ancient times in Central Asia and China. Cultivation of the tree then spread across Eurasia and to North Africa and Japan. The fruit is consumed both fresh and dried. Apricots are used in dishes including cakes, tarts, and jam, and in savoury dishes, for example in stuffing. In Austria, they are the basis of ''Marillenknödel'', sweet apricot dumplings.

== Etymology ==

''Apricot'' first appeared in English in the 16th century as ''abrecock'' from the Middle French {{Lang|frm|aubercot}} or later {{Lang|frm|abricot}},<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/abricot |title=abricot |language=French |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922135756/http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/abricot |archive-date=22 September 2017 |publisher=Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales}}</ref> from Spanish ''albaricoque'' and Catalan {{lang|ca|a(l)bercoc}}, in turn from Arabic {{lang|ar|الْبَرْقُوق|rtl=yes}}{{lrm}} ({{lang|ar-latn|al-barqūq}}, {{gloss|the plums}}), from Byzantine Greek {{lang|grc|βερικοκκίᾱ}} ({{lang|grc-latn|berikokkíā}}, {{gloss|apricot tree}}), derived from late Greek {{Lang|grc|πραικόκιον}} ({{lang|grc-latn|praikókion}}, {{gloss|apricot}}) from Latin [{{lang|la|persica}} ({{gloss|peach}})] {{lang|la|praecocia'}} ({{lang|la|praecoquus}}, {{gloss|early ripening}}).<ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster|apricot}}</ref><ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|apricot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Dean |first=Sam |title=On the Etymology of the Word Apricot |date=9 May 2013 |url=https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/on-the-etymology-of-the-word-apricot |publisher=Bon Appetit |access-date=22 October 2018 |archive-date=22 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181022154729/https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/on-the-etymology-of-the-word-apricot |url-status=live }}</ref> The specific epithet ''armeniaca'' refers to the country of Armenia.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |chapter=Apricot |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-101825-1 |edition=2nd |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pZ-1AQAAQBAJ&dq=%22armenian+plum%22&pg=PT227}}</ref>

[[File:Apricot Etymology Map.svg|thumb|center|upright=1.5|Map of the etymology of "apricot" from Latin via Late and Byzantine Greek to Arabic, Spanish and Catalan, Middle French, and so to English]]

== Description ==

The apricot is a small tree, up to {{convert|8|m}} tall, with a round canopy and a spread similar to its height. The flowers are white or pinkish, about {{convert|2|cm}} wide, appearing before the leaves early in the spring. The fruit is a succulent orange-yellow drupe (a stonefruit) tinged with red.<ref name="RHS apricot">{{cite web |title=Prunus armeniaca: apricot |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants/13949/prunus-armeniaca/details |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society |access-date=28 September 2025}}</ref> The single seed (kernel or stone) is enclosed in a hard shell (exocarp).<ref name=foc>{{cite web |url=http://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=102618 |title= Armeniaca |work=Flora of China |publisher=eFloras |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906165710/http://efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=102618 |archive-date=6 September 2021 }}</ref>

<gallery class="center" mode="nolines" widths="180" heights="160"> File:Turkey.Pasa Baglari005.jpg|Habit File:Healthy leaves of apricot (cropped).jpg|Leaves File:Marillenblüten.jpg|Flowers Prunus armeniaca Nubra Valley.jpg|Fruits on tree </gallery>

== Taxonomy ==

Apricots are species belonging to ''Prunus'' sect. ''Armeniaca''. The taxonomic position of ''P. brigantina'' is disputed. It is grouped with plum species according to chloroplast DNA sequences,<ref name="Reales 2010">{{Cite journal |last1=Reales |first1=Antonio |last2=Sargent |first2=Daniel J. |last3=Tobutt |first3=Ken R. |last4=Rivera |first4=Diego |date=1 January 2010 |title=Phylogenetics of Eurasian plums, ''Prunus'' L. section ''Prunus'' (Rosaceae), according to coding and non-coding chloroplast DNA sequences |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-009-0226-9 |url-status=live |journal=Tree Genetics & Genomes |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=37–45 |doi=10.1007/s11295-009-0226-9 |s2cid=31215875 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116102520/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11295-009-0226-9 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |access-date=29 March 2021 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> but more closely related to apricot species according to nuclear DNA sequences.<ref name="Liu Decrocq 2021">{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Shuo |last2=Decroocq |first2=Stephane |last3=Harte |first3=Elodie |last4=Tricon |first4=David |last5=Chague |first5=Aurelie |last6=Balakishiyeva |first6=Gulnara |last7=Kostritsyna |first7=Tatiana |last8=Turdiev |first8=Timur |last9=Saux |first9=Marion Fisher-Le |last10=Dallot |first10=Sylvie |last11=Giraud |first11=Tatiana |display-authors=5 |date=5 January 2021 |title=Genetic diversity and population structure analyses in the Alpine plum (''Prunus brigantina'' Vill.) confirm its affiliation to the ''Armeniaca'' section |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-020-01484-6 |url-status=live |journal=Tree Genetics & Genomes |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=2 |doi=10.1007/s11295-020-01484-6 |s2cid=230795948 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116102525/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11295-020-01484-6 |archive-date=16 January 2023 |access-date=29 March 2021}}</ref>

* ''Prunus armeniaca'' – common apricot, widely cultivated for its edible fruit and kernel * ''Prunus brigantina'' – Briançon apricot, native to Europe, cultivated for its edible fruit and oil-producing kernel *''Prunus cathayana'' – native to Hebei * ''Prunus'' × ''dasycarpa'' – purple apricot, cultivated in Central Asia and adjacent areas for its edible fruit * ''Prunus hongpingensis'' – Hongping apricot, native to Shennongjia, cultivated for its edible fruit * ''Prunus hypotrichodes'' – native to Chongqing * ''Prunus limeixing'' – cultivated in northern China for its edible fruit * ''Prunus mandshurica'' – Manchurian apricot, native to Northeast Asia, cultivated for its kernel, the fruits of some cultivars edible * ''Prunus mume'' – flowering apricot, native to southern China, widely cultivated for its beautiful blossom and edible fruit * ''Prunus sibirica'' – Siberian apricot, native to Siberia, Mongolia, northern China, and Korea, cultivated for its kernel * ''Prunus zhengheensis'' – Zhenghe apricot, native to Fujian

== Cultivation ==

=== Origin and domestication ===

[[File:Dried date, peach, apricot, and stones. From Lahun, Fayum, Egypt. Late Middle Kingdom. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg|thumb|Dried date, peach, apricot, and stones. From Lahun, Fayum, Egypt. Late Middle Kingdom. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology ]]

The most commonly cultivated apricot ''Prunus armeniaca'' was known in Armenia during ancient times, and has been cultivated there for so long that it was previously thought to have originated there, hence the epithet of its scientific name.<ref name="ishs121_36">{{cite web |url=http://www.actahort.org/books/121/121_36.htm |title=VII Symposium on Apricot Culture and Decline |publisher=International Society for Horticultural Science |access-date=22 June 2012 |archive-date=21 May 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030521122201/http://www.actahort.org/books/121/121_36.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> However, this is not supported by genetic studies, which instead confirm the hypothesis proposed by Nikolai Vavilov that domestication of ''P. armeniaca'' occurred in Central Asia and China.<ref name="Liu 2019">{{Cite journal |last1=Liu |first1=Shuo |last2=Cornille |first2=Amandine |last3=Decroocq |first3=Stéphane |last4=Tricon |first4=David |last5=Chague |first5=Aurélie |last6=Eyquard |first6=Jean-Philippe |last7=Liu |first7=Wei-Sheng |last8=Giraud |first8=Tatiana |last9=Decroocq |first9=Véronique |display-authors=5 |date=2019 |title=The complex evolutionary history of apricots: Species divergence, gene flow and multiple domestication events |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mec.15296 |journal=Molecular Ecology |volume=28 |issue=24 |pages=5299–5314 |doi=10.1111/mec.15296 |pmid=31677192 |bibcode=2019MolEc..28.5299L |s2cid=207833328 |access-date=17 February 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623104145/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mec.15296 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="Bourguiba 2020">{{Cite journal |last1=Bourguiba |first1=Hedia |last2=Scotti |first2=Ivan |last3=Sauvage |first3=Christopher |last4=Zhebentyayeva |first4=Tetyana |last5=Ledbetter |first5=Craig |last6=Krška |first6=Boris |last7=Remay |first7=Arnaud |last8=D’Onofrio |first8=Claudio |last9=Iketani |first9=Hiroyuki |last10=Christen |first10=Danilo |last11=Krichen |first11=Lamia |display-authors=5 |date=2020 |title=Genetic structure of a worldwide germplasm collection of ''Prunus armeniaca'' L. reveals three major diffusion routes for varieties coming from the species' center of origin |journal=Frontiers in Plant Science |volume=11 |page=638 |doi=10.3389/fpls.2020.00638 |pmc=7261834 |pmid=32523597 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2020FrPS...11..638B }}</ref> The domesticated apricot then diffused south to South Asia,<ref name="Liu 2019"/> west to West Asia (including Armenia), Europe and North Africa, and east to Japan.<ref name="Bourguiba 2020"/> The apricot arrived in southwest Asia from Iran or Armenia during the third century BC. Within a few centuries, cultivation was established across Syria, Turkey, Greece, and Italy.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Zohary |first1=Daniel |last2=Hopf |first2=Maria |last3=Weiss |first3=Ehud |title=Domestication of Plants in the Old World |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978–0–19–954906–1 |page=160 |edition=Fourth}}</ref>

=== Cultivation practices===

Apricot trees have a chilling requirement of 300 to 900 chilling units. A dry climate is good for fruit maturation. The tree is slightly more cold-hardy than the peach, tolerating winter temperatures as cold as {{convert|-30|°C}} or lower if healthy, with large differences between cultivars.<ref name="FH">{{cite journal |last1=Bakos |first1=József L. |last2=Ladányi |first2=Márta |last3=Szalay |first3=László |title=Frost hardiness of flower buds of 16 apricot cultivars during dormancy |journal=Folia Horticulturae |volume=36 |issue=1 |date=1 June 2024 |doi=10.2478/fhort-2024-0005 |doi-access=free |pages=81–93}}</ref> They are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 8. A limiting factor in apricot culture is spring frosts: They tend to flower very early (in early March in western Europe), and spring frost can kill flowers or before flower buds in different stages of development.<ref name="FH"/> Furthermore, the trees are sensitive to temperature changes during the winter season. In China, winters can be very cold, but temperatures tend to be more stable than in Europe and especially North America, where large temperature swings can occur in winter. Hybridization with the closely related ''Prunus sibirica'' (Siberian apricot; hardy to {{convert|-50|°C}} but with less palatable fruit) offers options for breeding more cold-tolerant plants.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Prunus+sibirica |title=Prunus sibirica Siberian Apricot PFAF Plant Database |work=pfaf.org |access-date=17 November 2013 |archive-date=16 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116010950/https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Prunus+sibirica |url-status=live }}</ref> Apricots prefer well-drained soils with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0.<ref>{{cite web |title=Apricots |url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/apricots/grow-your-own |access-date=27 January 2023 |publisher=Royal Horticultural Society}}</ref>

Apricot cultivars are usually grafted onto plum or peach rootstocks. The cultivar scion provides the fruit characteristics, such as flavor and size, but the rootstock provides the growth characteristics of the plant. Some of the more popular US apricot cultivars are 'Blenheim', 'Wenatchee Moorpark', 'Tilton', and 'Perfection'. Some apricot cultivars are self-compatible, so do not require pollinizer trees; others are not: 'Moongold' and 'Sungold', for example, must be planted in pairs so they can pollinate each other.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Herrera |first1=Sara |last2=Lora |first2=Jorge |last3=Hormaza |first3=José I. |last4=Herrero |first4=Maria |last5=Rodrigo |first5=Javier |date=2018 |title=Optimizing Production in the New Generation of Apricot Cultivars: Self-incompatibility, S-RNase Allele Identification, and Incompatibility Group Assignment |journal=Frontiers in Plant Science |volume=9 |page=527 |doi=10.3389/fpls.2018.00527|pmid=29755489 |pmc=5935046 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018FrPS....9..527H }}</ref>

Plant breeders have created what is known as a "black apricot" or "purple apricot", (''Prunus dasycarpa''), a hybrid of an apricot and the cherry plum (''Prunus cerasifera''). Other apricot–plum hybrids are variously called plumcots, apriplums, pluots, or apriums.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Adorable Apricots – The Essential Guide to probably everything you need to know about growing Apricot – Prunus armeniaca |url=https://www.permaculturenews.org/2023/01/10/adorable-apricots-the-essential-guide-to-probably-everything-you-need-to-know-about-growing-apricot-prunus-armeniaca/ |date=10 January 2023 |access-date=27 January 2023 |publisher=Permaculture Research Institute}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths="160px" heights="130px"> File:Packard apricots.jpg|David Packard's apricot orchard in Los Altos Hills, preserved by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation File:Preparing apricots. Alchi Monastery, Ladakh.jpg|Preparing apricots at Alchi Monastery, Ladakh, India File:Dried apricot fruits in the field (Fergana, Uzbekistan).jpg|Drying apricots (Fergana, Uzbekistan) </gallery>

=== Pests and diseases ===

Diseases of apricots vary with climate. In California's hot Central Valley, pit burn, a condition of soft and brown fruit around the pit, is common.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ingels |first=Chuck |display-authors=etal |title=The Home Orchard: Growing Your Own Deciduous Fruit and Nut Trees |isbn=978-1-879906-72-3 |page=27 |year=2007 |publisher=University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources}}</ref> Bacterial diseases include bacterial spot and crown gall. Fungal diseases include brown rot caused by ''Monilinia fructicola'' late in the season. In periods of heavy rain, the flowers can suffer from blossom wilt where the flowers and young shoots turn brown and die; the twigs die back in a severe attack. Dieback of branches in the summer around pruning wounds can be caused by the fungus ''Eutypa lata''.<ref name=Hessayon2004>{{cite book |last=Hessayon |first=D. G. |author-link=D. G. Hessayon |chapter=Tree Fruit: Apricots |title=The Fruit Expert |publisher=Expert Books |year=1990 |location=London |isbn=978-0903505314}}</ref><ref name=Munkvold2001>{{cite journal |last1=Munkvold |first1=Gary P. |title=Eutypa Dieback of Grapevine and Apricot |journal=Plant Health Progress |year=2001 |volume=2 |issue=1 |article-number=9 |doi=10.1094/PHP-2001-0219-01-DG |doi-access=free |bibcode=2001PlaHP...2....9M }}</ref> Other fungal diseases are black knot, ''Alternaria'' spot and fruit rot, and powdery mildew.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.apsnet.org/publications/commonnames/Pages/Apricot.aspx |title=Diseases of Apricot |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624050543/http://www.apsnet.org/publications/commonnames/Pages/Apricot.aspx |archive-date=24 June 2016 |access-date=24 June 2016 |publisher=American Phytopathological Society}}</ref> Unlike peaches, apricots are not affected by leaf curl, and bacterial canker (causing sunken patches in the bark, which then spread and kill the affected branch or tree) and silver leaf are not serious threats, which means that pruning in late winter is considered safe.<ref name=Hessayon2004/>

{{Table alignment}} {| class="wikitable floatright" style="width:12em; text-align:center;" |+ Apricot production <br>{{small|2023, tonnes}}<br/> |- |{{TUR}}||750,000 |- |{{UZB}}||500,545 |- |{{IRN}}||318,475 |- |{{ITA}}||207,190 |- |{{ALG}}||200,566 |- |'''World'''||'''3,728,155''' |- |colspan=2|{{small|Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations<ref name=faostat/>}} |}

=== Production ===

In 2023, world production of apricots was 3.7 million tonnes, led by Turkey with 20% of the total (table). Other major producers (in descending order) were Uzbekistan, Iran, Italy, and Algeria.<ref name="faostat">{{cite web |url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL |title=Apricot production in 2023, Crops/Regions/World list/Production Quantity/Year (pick lists) |date=2025 |publisher=UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Corporate Statistical Database (FAOSTAT) |access-date=11 October 2025}}</ref>

Malatya is the center of Turkey's apricot industry.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Denker |first1=Joel |title='Moon Of The Faith:' A History Of The Apricot And Its Many Pleasures |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/14/481932829/moon-of-the-faith-a-history-of-the-apricot-and-its-many-pleasures|date=14 June 2016 |publisher=US National Public Radio |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808231633/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/14/481932829/moon-of-the-faith-a-history-of-the-apricot-and-its-many-pleasures |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Toxicity ==

Apricot kernels (seeds) contain amygdalin, a poisonous compound. On average, bitter apricot kernels contain about 5% amygdalin and sweet kernels about 0.9% amygdalin. These values correspond to 0.3% and 0.05% of cyanide. Since a typical apricot kernel weighs 600 mg, bitter and sweet varieties contain, respectively, 1.8 and 0.3 mg of cyanide.<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 April 2016 |title=Apricot kernels pose risk of cyanide poisoning |url=https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/160427 |access-date=27 January 2023 |publisher=European Food Safety Authority}}</ref>

== Uses ==

=== Fruit ===

Fresh apricots can be used in dishes such as cakes and tarts, or made into jam.<ref name="BBC recipes">{{cite web |title=Apricot recipes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/apricot |publisher=BBC Food |access-date=28 September 2025}}</ref> Dried apricots can be used in similar ways, and included in stuffing for meat dishes, stews, granola, and muesli.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dried apricot recipes |url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/dried-apricot-recipes |publisher=BBC Good Food |access-date=28 September 2025}}</ref> In Austrian cuisine, ''Marillenknödel'' are dumplings stuffed with apricots, garnished with breadcrumbs fried in butter and dusted with sugar.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wagner |first=Renate |title=Marillenknödel - Apricot Dumplings |url=https://www.austria.info/en-gb/recipes/apricot-dumplings/ |publisher=Austria.info |access-date=28 September 2025}}</ref> In Mediterranean cuisine, a cooling drink is made by dissolving apricot paste in water.<ref>{{cite book|last=David |first=Elizabeth |author-link=Elizabeth David |title=A Book of Mediterranean Food |title-link=A Book of Mediterranean Food |publisher=Dorling Kindersley [John Lehmann] |orig-year=1950 |date=1988 |pages=6–17}}</ref> Barack is a Hungarian apricot brandy.<ref>{{cite web |title=Barack palinka |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/barack-palinka |access-date=20 March 2025 |publisher=Britannica}}</ref>

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths="160px" heights="160px"> File:Lemon Apricot Flower Tart on tray.jpg|A lemon apricot flower tart File:Apricot jam.jpg|Apricot jam File:Syrian apricot paste 01.jpg|Syrian apricot paste File:FW Marillenknödl1.jpg|''Marillenknödel'', Austrian apricot dumpling File:深大寺のあんず飴 Apricot candy of Jindai-ji Temple (4061067396).jpg|Candied apricots (''anzu'') on monaka wafers at Jindai-ji Temple in Tokyo, Japan File:Palinka.jpg|Barack, a Hungarian apricot brandy </gallery>

=== Kernel ===

Due to their natural amygdalin content, culinary uses for the kernel are limited because of the risk of cyanide poisoning.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/press/news/160427 |publisher=European Food Safety Authority |title=Apricot kernels pose risk of cyanide poisoning |date=27 April 2016}}</ref> Oil made from apricot kernels is safe for human consumption without treatment because amygdalin is not oil soluble. Ground up shells are used in cosmetics as an exfoliant.<ref>{{cite web |last=Southey |first=Flora |title=Are fruit seeds the new nuts? |url=https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2021/05/14/Are-fruit-seeds-the-new-nuts-Meet-the-start-up-upcycling-fruit-kernels-into-oil-flour-and-alt-milk |date=14 May 2021 |publisher=Food Navigator |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524084606/https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2021/05/14/Are-fruit-seeds-the-new-nuts-Meet-the-start-up-upcycling-fruit-kernels-into-oil-flour-and-alt-milk |url-status=live }}</ref> As an exfoliant, it provides an alternative to plastic microbeads.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pierre-Louis |first1=Kendra |title=800 Trillion Plastic Microbeads Go Down Drains Every Day |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/800-trillion-plastic-microbeads-go-down-drains-every-day/ |date=8 October 2015 |publisher=PBS |access-date=9 May 2022 |archive-date=9 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509180540/https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/800-trillion-plastic-microbeads-go-down-drains-every-day/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The kernels can be made into a plant milk.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cornall |first1=Jim |date=10 March 2022 |title=The latest in dairy alternatives: Taiwan company debuts apricot kernel drink |url=https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2022/03/10/the-latest-in-dairy-alternatives-taiwan-company-debuts-apricot-kernel-drink |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314091711/https://www.dairyreporter.com/Article/2022/03/10/the-latest-in-dairy-alternatives-taiwan-company-debuts-apricot-kernel-drink |archive-date=14 March 2022 |access-date=9 May 2022 |publisher=Dairy Reporter}}</ref>

=== Nutrition ===

{{stack begin}} {{nutritionalvalue | name=Apricots, dried | kJ=1010 | water=31 g | protein=3.9 g | fat=0.5 g | carbs=63 g | fiber=7 g | sugars=53 g | calcium_mg=55 | iron_mg=2.66 | copper_mg=0.343 | magnesium_mg=32 | phosphorus_mg=71 | potassium_mg=1160 | sodium_mg=10 | zinc_mg=0.29 | manganese_mg=0.235 | vitC_mg=1 | thiamin_mg=0.015 | riboflavin_mg=0.074 | niacin_mg=2.589 | pantothenic_mg=0.516 | folate_ug=10 | vitA_ug=180 | betacarotene_ug=2160 | vitB6_mg=0.143 | vitE_mg=4.33 | vitK_ug=3.1 | note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/173941/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }} {{stack end}} {{stack begin}} {{nutritionalvalue | name = Apricots, raw | kJ = 201 | water = 86 g | protein = 1.4 g | fat = 0.4 g | carbs = 11 g | fiber = 2 g | sugars = 9 g | calcium_mg = 13 | iron_mg = 0.4 | magnesium_mg = 10 | phosphorus_mg = 23 | potassium_mg = 259 | sodium_mg = 1 | zinc_mg = 0.2 | manganese_mg = 0.077 | copper_mg = 0.056 | vitC_mg = 10 | thiamin_mg = 0.03 | riboflavin_mg = 0.04 | niacin_mg = 0.6 | pantothenic_mg = 0.24 | vitB6_mg = 0.054 | folate_ug = 9 | vitA_ug = 96 | betacarotene_ug = 1090 | lutein_ug = 89 | vitE_mg = 0.89 | vitK_ug = 3.3 | note = [https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/2710815/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry] }} {{stack end}}

A raw apricot is 86% water, 11% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and less than 1% fat (table). In a reference amount of {{cvt|100|g}}, a raw apricot supplies 48 Calories and is a moderate source of vitamin A and vitamin C (11% each of the Daily Value, DV), with no other micronutrients in significant content (less than 10% DV, table).

===Phytochemicals=== Apricots contain phytochemicals, such as polyphenols, including catechins and chlorogenic acid.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Campbell |first1=O. E. |last2=Merwin |first2=I. A. |last3=Padilla-Zakour |first3=O. I. |year=2013 |title=Characterization and the effect of maturity at harvest on the phenolic and carotenoid content of Northeast USA Apricot (''Prunus armeniaca'') varieties |journal=Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |volume=61 |issue=51 |pages=12700–10 |doi=10.1021/jf403644r |pmid=24328399|bibcode=2013JAFC...6112700C }}</ref> Taste and aroma compounds include sucrose, glucose, organic acids, terpenes, aldehydes and lactones.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Xi |first1=W. |last2=Zheng |first2=H. |last3=Zhang |first3=Q. |last4=Li |first4=W. |year=2016 |title=Profiling Taste and Aroma Compound Metabolism during Apricot Fruit Development and Ripening |journal=International Journal of Molecular Sciences |volume=17 |issue=7 |pages=998 |doi=10.3390/ijms17070998 |pmc=4964374 |pmid=27347931 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Dried apricots === {{Main|Dried apricot}}

Dried apricots are a type of traditional dried fruit. Dried apricots are 31% water, 63% carbohydrates, 4% protein, and contain negligible fat (table). When the water content of apricots is decreased by drying, the mass fraction of micronutrients is increased, such as for vitamin A, vitamin E, copper and potassium, each having higher contents than in raw fruit (DVs above 20%, table).

===Wood===

Apricot wood is used for the production of the duduk, an Armenian woodwind instrument.<ref>{{cite book |last=Nercessian |first=Andy |title=The Duduk and National Identity in Armenia |date= 2001 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-0810840751 |p=3}}</ref>

== In culture ==

The apricot is the national fruit of Armenia, mostly growing in the Ararat plain.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lehmann |first1=Maike |title=Apricot Socialism: The National Past, the Soviet Project, and the Imagining of Community in Late Soviet Armenia |journal=Slavic Review |date=2015 |volume=74 |issue=1 |pages=13 |doi=10.5612/slavicreview.74.1.9 |s2cid=155915149 |quote=The apricot, being the Armenian national fruit...}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Grigoryan |first1=Marianna |title=Apricot Farmers Struggling in Armenia amid Crop Failure |url=https://eurasianet.org/node/61408 |agency=EurasiaNet |date=25 June 2010 |access-date=15 July 2018 |archive-date=14 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714222018/https://eurasianet.org/node/61408 |url-status=live }}</ref> It is often depicted on souvenirs.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schleifer |first1=Yigal |title=More on Armenia's Bitter Apricot Harvest |url=https://eurasianet.org/s/more-on-armenias-bitter-apricot-harvest |agency=EurasiaNet |date=2 July 2010 |access-date=15 July 2018 |quote=As a symbol of national pride the image of apricots is included in Armenian souvenirs. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714222051/https://eurasianet.org/s/more-on-armenias-bitter-apricot-harvest |archive-date=14 July 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Chinese associate the apricot with education and medicine. For instance, the classical word 杏壇 (literally: "apricot altar") (xìng tán 杏坛) which means "educational circle", is still widely used in written language. Zhuangzi, a Chinese philosopher in the fourth century BC, told a story that Confucius taught his students in a forum surrounded by the wood of apricot trees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ctext.org/zhuangzi/old-fisherman |title=《莊子·漁父》 |publisher=Ctext.org |access-date=2012-06-22 |archive-date=2013-05-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522232728/http://ctext.org/zhuangzi/old-fisherman |url-status=live }}</ref> The association with medicine in turn comes from the common use of apricot kernels as a component in traditional Chinese medicine, and from the story of Dong Feng (董奉), a physician during the Three Kingdoms period, who required no payment from his patients except that they plant apricot trees in his orchard upon recovering from their illnesses, resulting in a large grove of apricot trees and a steady supply of medicinal ingredients.<ref>{{cite journal |pmc=1376720 |title=Chinese Confucian culture and the medical ethical tradition |last=Guo |first=Zhaojiang |date=1995 |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=239–246 |pmid=7473645 |journal=Journal of Medical Ethics |doi=10.1136/jme.21.4.239}}</ref>

The short and unreliable apricot season in Egypt has given rise to the common Egyptian Arabic and Palestinian Arabic expression ''filmishmish'' ("in apricot [season]") or ''bukra filmishmish'' ("tomorrow in apricot [season]"), uttered as a riposte to an unlikely prediction, or as a rash promise to fulfill a request.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Al Qasimi|first1=Nouf |title=There's an old Arabic proverb: You can have apricots tomorrow |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/food/there-s-an-old-arabic-proverb-you-can-have-apricots-tomorrow-1.396914 |work=The National |date=16 August 2012 |access-date=18 August 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Al Qasimi |first=Nouf |title=Mish Mish |url=https://jfi.org/year-round/jfi-on-demand/mish-mish#:~:text=The%20affable%20character's%20name%20originated,something%20that%20will%20never%20happen. |publisher=Jewish Film Institute |access-date=18 August 2023}}</ref>

In Middle Eastern and North African cuisines, apricots are used to make Qamar al-Din ({{lit|link=yes}} "Moon of the faith"), a thick apricot drink that is a popular fixture at Iftar during Ramadan. Qamar al-Din is believed to originate in Damascus, Syria, where the variety of apricots most suitable for the drink was first grown.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=Amy |title=All Over The World, Thirsty Muslims Have Their Ramadan Go-To Drinks |publisher=NPR |access-date=22 May 2018 |date=8 June 2017 |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/06/08/530893651/all-over-the-world-thirsty-muslims-have-their-ramadan-go-to-drinks |archive-date=2019-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807175000/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/06/08/530893651/all-over-the-world-thirsty-muslims-have-their-ramadan-go-to-drinks |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Denker |first=Joel |title='Moon Of The Faith:' A History Of The Apricot And Its Many Pleasures |publisher=NPR |access-date=22 May 2018 |date=14 June 2016 |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/14/481932829/moon-of-the-faith-a-history-of-the-apricot-and-its-many-pleasures |archive-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808231633/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/06/14/481932829/moon-of-the-faith-a-history-of-the-apricot-and-its-many-pleasures |url-status=live}}</ref> In Jewish culture, apricots are eaten as part of the Tu BiShvat seder.<ref>{{cite news |date=21 January 2018 |title=The Tu B'Shevat Seder |url=https://anglo-list.com/tu-bshevat-seder/ |access-date=27 January 2023 |work=Anglo-List}}</ref>

In the U.S. Marines it is considered exceptionally bad luck to eat or possess apricots, especially near tanks. This superstition has been documented since at least the Vietnam War and is often cited as originating in World War II. Even calling them by their name is considered unlucky,<ref name="Sicard 2021"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1046642100123140320 |title=Superstitions Abound at Camp As Soldiers Await War in Iraq |first=Michael M. |last=Phillips |date=3 March 2003 |access-date=2 September 2017 |archive-date=2 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902150634/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1046642100123140320 |url-status=live }}</ref> so they are instead called "cots",<ref>{{cite book|title=War Slang: American Fighting Words & Phrases Since the Civil War|url=https://archive.org/details/warslangfighting00dick|url-access=registration |first=Paul |last=Dickson |date=1994 |page=[https://archive.org/details/warslangfighting00dick/page/267 267] |publisher=Pocket Books |isbn=978-0671750220}}</ref> "Forbidden fruit" or "A-fruit".<ref name="Sicard 2021">{{cite news |last=Sicard |first=Sarah |date=23 May 2021 |title=Why tankers are terrified of apricots |url=https://www.militarytimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2021/05/20/why-tankers-are-terrified-of-apricots/ |access-date=27 January 2023 |work=Military Times}}</ref>

American astronauts ate dried apricot on the Apollo 15 and Apollo 17 missions to the moon.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bendix |first=Aria |title=From applesauce in a tube to 'space noodles,' here's how astronaut food has evolved from the 1960s to today |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/astronaut-food-in-space-timeline-2019-7 |access-date=23 April 2024 |work=Business Insider}}</ref>

==Gallery==

<gallery class=center mode=nolines widths="160px" heights="130px"> File:Dried apricot 01 Pengo.jpg|Dried apricot, with dark color due to absence of sulfur dioxide treatment File:Сибирский абрикос.jpg|Prunus sibirica (Siberian apricot; hardy to {{convert|-50|°C|F}} but with less palatable fruit) File:Apricots Drying In Cappadocia.JPG|Apricots drying on the ground in Cappadocia File:Packaging apricot fruits in Surkhandarya (Uzbekistan).jpg|Packaging apricot fruits in Uzbekistan File:Dried process of apricot fruits.jpg|Drying apricots, Uzbekistan File:Marelica Kečkemetska ruža - zreli plodovi na grani.jpg|'Kecskemét Rose' - a pale and juicy apricot cultivar </gallery>

== See also ==

* Apricot plum, ''Prunus simonii''

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * {{Commons category-inline|Apricots}} * {{Cookbook-inline|Apricot}} * {{Wiktionary-inline}}

Armeniaca Category:Apricots Category:Crops originating from China Category:Edible fruits Category:Fruits originating in Asia Category:Garden plants of Asia Category:Prunus Category:Drupes Category:National symbols of Armenia