Prune

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A prune is a dried plum of any cultivar, mostly Prunus domestica or European Plum. The use of the term for fresh fruit is obsolete except when applied to varieties grown for drying.

Most prunes are freestone cultivars (the pit is easy to remove), whereas most other plums grown for fresh consumption are clingstone (the pit is more difficult to remove).

Video Prune

Production

More than 1,000 plum cultivars are grown for drying. The main cultivar grown in the United States is the Improved French prune. Other varieties include Sutter, Tulare Giant, Moyer, Imperial, Italian, and Greengage. Fresh prunes reach the market earlier than fresh plums and are usually smaller in size.

Name

In 2001, plum growers in the United States were authorised by the government to call prunes "dried plums". Due to the popular U.S. perception of prunes being used only for relief of constipation, and being the subject of related joking, many distributors stopped using the word "prune" on packaging labels in favour of "dried plums".

Maps Prune

Health effects

Prunes contain dietary fiber (about 7% per gram; table) which may provide laxative effects, a conclusion reached in a 2012 review by the European Food Safety Authority demonstrating that prunes effectively contribute to the restoration of normal bowel function in the general population if consumed in quantities of at least 100 grams (3.5 oz) per day.

Nutrition

Prunes are 31% water, 64% carbohydrates, including 7% dietary fiber, 2% protein, and less than 1% fat (table). Prunes are a rich source of vitamin K (57% of the Daily Value, DV) and a moderate source of several B vitamin and dietary minerals (10-16% DV; table).

Phytochemicals

Prunes and their juice contain phytochemicals, including phenolic compounds (mainly as neochlorogenic acids and chlorogenic acids) and sorbitol.

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Uses

Prunes are used in preparing both sweet and savory dishes.

Contrary to the name, boiled plums or prunes are not used to make sugar plums which instead may be a nut, seed, or spice coated with hard sugar, also called a comfit.

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See also

• List of dried foods
• List of plum dishes
• Pomology
• Zwetschge

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References

Source of article : Wikipedia