Apricot

Etymology

The word passed from the Latin to the French via the Greek , the Arab and the Spanish . The Romans named it praecoquum , i.e. “(fruit) early”; the Greeks borrowed it from the Romans in the form πραικόκιον (praikókion); the Arabs borrowed it from the Greeks in the form أَلْبَرْقُوق (ʾal barqūq) (since there is not its Arabic /p/, this one was replaced by /b/, which is the sound nearest). The Spaniards borrowed it from the Arabs in the albaricoque form into agglutinant the definite article in the substantive. The word passed in French XVIe century.

Description

It is a fleshy Fruit, a Drupe, of round form, having a hard core containing only one gross Graine, or almond. The flesh is sweetened, juicy, orange and firm. The skin, whose color can go from the yellow to the red, is sometimes piquetée of “freckles” and is eaten. The red color is not pledge of maturity and the apricot does not mature any more after its gathering.

History

As opposed to what the Latin name of the species (armeniaca) indicates, the apricot tree does not come from Arménie, but from the high mountainous regions of the North-East of China. It would have been domesticated there is more than 4.000 years by the Inhabitants of Tajik, or another ancients of this area of Asia, which selected varieties particularly rich in sugar. One century before our era, the Roman legionaries will introduce it in Greece and Italy. However, it will be introduced in France only in XVe century and its culture will be established there truly only three centuries later, about at the same time when the Spanish missionaries will establish it in the South of California, where it will be quickly adopté.

the content carotene or provitamin has is high. It is it which gives the orange color.

It is the ideal ally of a raised muscular activity, without bringing more than 30 kcalories by fruit. -->

Varieties

Among the many existing varieties, one can quote most usually produced in France, by order of arrival on the stalls:

Early Blush, Tomcot, Orangered, Jumbocot, Kioto, Bergarouge, Pole or Orange for the Languedoc-Provence basin.
Mainly Bergeron in the Rhone-Alps.
Red, Hélèna and Royal of Roussillon

Production

Use

for the kitchen

One consumes fresh apricot, but also dried (dry apricot) or prepared various ways: compote, Jam, tart S, apricots with syrup (out of preserves), like in salted dishes, like the rabbit with apricots and the Parsnip, an English receipt. In certain countries, like the Pakistan, one also consumes almond located in the core of apricot. In the varieties marketed in the Western countries, this almond is consumed out of oil (apricot oil) and uses the composition of the Persipan to Northern Europe (to the difference of the marzipan, in which appear of almonds) and the famous cookie amaretti in Italy. An apricot brandy is worked out in the center of Were worth: it bears the apricot-plum name. Most famous comes from a very old variety, Luizet.

for health

According to a recent study, it was proven that the daily consumption of 200 grams apricot slowed down the Oxydation certain structures of the organization.

Food value

Vocabulary

This word is also a word of Argot (see botanical Idiotisme ).

References

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