Interesting facts

The word apricot is derived from the Latin 'praecoces' = early ripening fruit. This was the name given by the Romans to the apricot because of its early flowering and fruiting compared with other members of the rose family. The second part of the apricot's scientific name is also of Roman origin: When Lucullus brought this fruit from Syria in the first century BC he called it 'malus armeniaca': Armenian apple.
The apricot is described as one of the oldest cultivated fruits and is said to have existed in northern China as long as 4000 years ago. The golden yellow fruit spread via the Silk Road to Syria and from there to the Roman Empire.
In the Hunza kingdom - the north Pakistani Hindu Kush - types of apricots are grown which are said to closely resemble the original form. The regular consumption of apricots, either fresh or dried, is thought to be one of the things responsible for the strength and remarkable health of the Hunza people.
The apricot's constituents are more typical of a vegetable than a fruit. No other fruit contains such large amounts of carotenoids, minerals and fibre. 100 g fresh apricots - one to three fruits depending on their size - cover the daily requirement for carotenoids of 2 mg recommended by the German Society for Nutrition (DGE).
In the orient apricot kernels are eaten like almonds. For this the stone is removed from the ripe apricot and cracked open to reveal the apricot kernel. These apricot kernels are also used to make the apricot kernel paste used as a substitute for marzipan and pressed to obtain apricot kernel oil.