Apricot

Apricots are a stone fruit (drupe) and are part of the rose family, which includes, not surprisingly, peaches, plums, and nectarines. But it is surprising to note that this branch of the family also includes cherries, almonds, and coconuts. All have one seed (the kernel), which is enclosed in a stony endocarp called a pit. As is true of the other well-known drupes (plums, nectarines, and peaches in particular), there are both cling-free and clingstone varieties. Apricots are thought to have originated in China, and the Chinese are known to have cultivated apricots as far back as 2000 B.C. From China, the apricot made its way to Iran and then, eventually, to Rome and Greece in the first century A.D. The Greeks gave the apricot its botanical name prunus armeniaca; however, this was due to their mistaken belief that the fruit had originated in Armenia. The Romans named the fruit praecocium, meaning precocious (advanced), because apricots ripened earlier than other stone fruits. This is the origin of the word apricot. Apricot trees were taken to England and Italy in the mid-1500s, but they did not prosper in those climates. The fruit made its way to Virginia in the early eighteenth century, where again the climate was too cool. Finally, apricots arrived in California, via Mexico and the Spanish; there they flourished and continue to do so today.