Fruit
Apricot
AlbaricoqueAlbercocPrunus armeniaca
A good apricot splits with your fingers and lets go of its stone on its own. The season is short, late May to July, and a cold-stored one is nothing like one from the tree.
When
Around: May–Jul · At its best: Jun
Around: May–Jul · At its best: Jun
Around: Nov–Jan · At its best: Dec
Around here
In Mallorca, Porreres is the apricot town, home of «orellanes», sun-dried halves used in baking and cooking. Apricot coca is a summer classic in Mallorca and around Valencia. Much of the apricot in the markets comes from Murcia and Aragon.
At the market
- Warm orange colour, sometimes with a reddish cheek; greenish ones won't ripen well.
- It should give slightly when pressed near the stalk and smell fruity.
- Avoid wrinkled ones or any with soft dark patches.
- Small freckles on the skin are normal and don't affect the flavour.
At home
- If they're a bit firm, leave them out of the fridge for a day or two, in a paper bag if you're in a hurry.
- Once ripe, into the fridge: they keep three or four days.
- They give off ethylene: keep them away from kiwis or bananas you don't want ripening.
If you have too much
- Apricot jam, one of the best for setting; leave a few chunks whole.
- Freeze them halved and stoned on a tray, then bag them: perfect for tarts.
- Dry the halves in the sun or a very low oven, like Mallorcan orellanes.
- In syrup, in sterilised jars.
In the kitchen
- Raw, split with your fingers.
- Apricot coca: dough, halves skin-side down and a sprinkling of sugar.
- Roasted halves with a little honey and rosemary, with yoghurt or ice cream.
- In a salad with burrata, green leaves and toasted almonds.
- In a spiced lamb or chicken stew, fresh or dried.
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 48 kcal
- Water
- 86% water
- Carbs
- 11.1 g
- Sugars
- 9.2 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
- Protein
- 1.4 g
Stands out for
It isn't a «source» of anything by the EU rules: you eat it because it's good, which is plenty.
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- CherryMay–JulThe cherry is the fruit you eat standing at the stall, «just one more». The season is short and cherries don't ripen after picking, so what you buy is what you get.
- PeachJun–OctPeach, nectarine and flat peach are the same species: a nectarine is a peach without fuzz, and the flat peach a squashed one. The one you can peel with your hands, dripping down to your elbow, is the one that was perfect.
- PlumJun–SeptPlums come in every colour, from the green of greengages to purple so dark it's nearly black. The white dust on the skin is the plum's own bloom, not a spray: if it's intact, the fruit has barely been handled.