Apricot

Apricots

The apricot (Prunus armeniaca ), in Austria, South Tyrol and parts of Bavaria apricot, in Rheinhessen also Malete, as part of the Ume to the section in the subgenus Prunus armeniaca the genus Prunus in the rose family ( Rosaceae ).

Description

The apricot is a shrub or small tree with rounded crown and usually reaches stature heights up to 6 meters, rarely to 10 meters. The bark is shiny and reddish- brown. The bark of the branches is bare and reddish in youth. The long shoots have no true terminal bud.

The leaves are 5-10 cm long, 3-7 cm wide, colored green, broadly ovate to roundish oval, pointed suddenly and rounded at the base. The leaf margin is often cut twice. The leaves are glabrous, only in the nerve corners of the bottom is a bearded hairs present. In the vernation the leaves are rolled. The petiole is 2 to 4 cm long. At the petioles are usually 2 or more glands, these are great and sometimes verlaubend.

The flowers appear before the leaves are usually arranged singly or rarely in pairs. Your bud scales fall from the beginning of flowering. The flower stalk is up to 5 mm long, hairy fluffy and often reddish. The flowers have a diameter of about 2.5 cm. The flower cups is pubescent and cup-shaped. The five sepals are also hairy fluffy and entire. The five petals are pale pink to white, 10-15 mm long, round verkehrteiförmig and entire. There are about 20, rarely to 30 stamens present. The anthers are yellow. The ovary and the pen base have a velvety pubescence.

The stone fruit has a diameter of 4 to 8 cm and is almost spherical and rarely oblong, hairy velvety, pale yellow to orange-red in color and on the sunny side often spotted or dotted carmine. It has a longitudinal furrow is umbilicate at the base. The flesh separates from the stone core. The stone core is bulbous lens-shaped, slightly rough and up to 3 cm long. Its edge is thickened and furrowed several times. The seeds taste bitter or sweet.

The flowering period extends from March to April.

The chromosome number is 2n = 16

Origin and cultivation areas

The apricot was known in Armenia in antiquity, where it is cultivated for so long that it is often assumed that this was their original home. The botanical name is derived from this assumption. For example, De Poederlé wrote in the 18th century: " Cet arbre tire son nom de l' Arménie, province d' Asie, d' où il est d' où il fut originaire et porté en Europe ... " - " This tree gets its name from Armenia, an Asian province, from which he comes, and he came from which to Europe ... " an archaeological excavation in Armenia found apricot seeds in an archaeological site of the Chalcolithic period. Other sources such as the geneticist Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov locate the genetic origin in China, and in turn imply other sources that the apricot was first cultivated in India around 3,000 BC.

Traditional cultivation area for apricots is among other things the Hungarian Plain. The Turks had the time of their dominion over this plane giant apricot orchards, but these gardens deserted after the departure of the Turks. With the fruit-growing began in the lowlands again until the early 19th century, when this plane was threatening to turn into a single desert sand due to heavy sandstorms. To bind the flight Sands to apricot trees proved to be particularly suitable, as they not only tolerate sandy soil, but also heat and drought. Nowadays apricots are especially cultivated in the Mediterranean countries such as Italy and Spain. There are, however, in more northerly areas greater cultivation of these fruits, including in Lower Austria's Wachau, in Burgenland Kittsee, in the South Tyrol Vinschgau and in the Swiss canton of Valais.

The world's largest growing area for apricots is located in the eastern Turkish province of Malatya on the upper reaches of the Euphrates. There the sweet apricots are pitted and dried as whole fruit. Meanwhile derived approximately 95 % of the traded in Europe dried apricots from Malatya. For several years, also fresh fruits are exported to Europe. Turkey produced 2010 476.132 t followed by Iran with 400,000 t and 325,000 t with Uzbekistan, Italy amounted to 252 892 tonnes in fourth place in the world production.

The increase is mainly done by budding.

In Tibet, Ladakh and northern Pakistan a small apricot places ( " Hunza apricot " ) is traditionally grown that thrives there, even at very high altitudes up to 4000m. The apricots make there an important source of vitamins and oil and next seabuckthorn the only fruit dar. The cultivation is possible because of the apricot tree in winter can survive very deep frosts. The apricots are dried with or without stone and ate the apricot kernels. The oil of apricot kernels has an intense, pleasant odor of bitter almond oil ( " Marzipan ").

Harvest season

The harvest season begins relatively early. Local apricots are available from mid-July to late August. In the southern Mediterranean region, the first fruits to be harvested as early as the end of May, the season eventually ends in September. Then mainly flown apricots come from overseas in trade between December and March.

Cultural aspects

In Europe, apricots were long considered aphrodisiacs. In this context, they appear The Duchess of Malfi in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and John Webster.

In China, the apricot is a symbol of a young girl, but also for the desire to have children.

In the areas of high density cultivation of the economic aspect, the time of flowering in tourism plays a major role. Thus, in the Wachau numerous attractions at the time of apricot blossom are held.

Varieties

• Alexandrian black apricot
• Pineapple - Apricot
• Apricot by Nancy
• Bergeron
• Early Rose Apricot
• Large Frühaprikose
• Hargrand

• Heidenheimer Early
• Königsaprikose
• Kuresia
• Luizet
• Marena
• Mombacher Early
• Sulzer low Pfirsichmarille

• Orangered
• Melting of Gaweinstal
• Temperao de Vila Franca
• Hungarian Best
• Vinschger apricot

Wachau apricot called no variety, but is a protected designation of origin.

Etymology and other names

The word apricot comes from the Latin praecox " precocious " and its variant praecoquium back. About the Byzantine- Greek πρεκόκκια prekókkia the word came into Arabic as al - البرقوق Barquq (now also مشمش mišmiš ), from which it was borrowed in turn is preceded by the article al - in several Romance languages ​​(Portuguese albricoque, span albaricoque. , from French abricot ), and finally came across the Romance languages ​​in most other European languages ​​, on ndl. Finally abrikoos also into German. The transformation from Abri- to - Apri, which has taken place in German, English and Swedish, may have partly phonetic reasons, but is probably due to a Fehletymologie that brought the word with Latin apricus " sunny " in conjunction. Thus we find the English lexicographer John Minsheu (1560-1627) the derivation in aprico coctus " sun-ripened ".

The classical Latin name of the fruit, prunum Armeniacum " Armenian plum " or malum Armeniacum " Armenian apple ", has been preserved in its botanical name. The name apricot that prevails in Austria, South Tyrol and Bavaria, but also in schweizerdt. (obsolete) Barille exists, goes beyond Italian armellino back to this Latin name of the fruit.

Use

From apricot apricot dumplings are prepared, for example. Apricot jam is an essential part of the Sacher Torte and is used among other things as filling the donuts. Apricots are also the main ingredient for the Wiener scrubber lasses, a famous Austrian cuisine in the warm pudding. A large part of the harvest is also burned to Marillenschnaps. Very popular ( and expensive ) is also apricot vinegar. Especially in the Wachau apricots is pulled and forms addition to vineyards is another important industry. So it is in the Wachau apricot to a by the EU into European protected designation of origin. Every year is celebrated in Krems on the Danube, the apricot festival, where there are many different specialties with the apricot as the crucial component. Every year in Spitz instead of Marillenkirtag.

The seed is in the apricot stone and looks like a small almond. It tastes bitter and has a strong marzipan flavor. That's why he comes in the production of persipan and Amaretto used. He can pound are used to flavor sweet dishes. There are also varieties whose seeds sweet taste like almonds, for example, some Turkish apricot varieties. Its shape looks more like a bag, not evenly and flat. Apricot seeds are poisonous because they contain about eight percent blausäureabspaltendes amygdalin. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment ( BfR) advises consumers therefore, " not more than one or two bitter apricot kernels per day to consume or to completely refrain from consuming ".

The apricot fruit ( no core / stone) has, according to the club Wachauermarille to a total fructose content of 3 to 16%, and has 200 mg/100 g the highest proportion of all types of fruit provitamin A ( carotene). The Apricot Jam is also used to Aprikotieren, ie the basting often oven warm fruit cakes, yeast and pastries with the hot jam ( apricot ).

The flowers of apricot nectar has a sugar content of 5-22 %; in each flower occur within 24 hours from 0.31 to 0.84 mg of sugar ( glucose ). In beekeeping, the apricot is therefore as costume plant of minor importance.