Shallow earthenware bowls of dried apricots, dried figs and dark raisins on a worn wooden table, beside a small pot of fruit simmered in tea and a wedge of hard cheese

Dried Fruit: The Complete Guide

People have dried fruit to keep a harvest past its season for thousands of years, and much of it is still dried in the sun. Near Fresno, grapes are laid on paper trays between the vines. In Malatya, in eastern Türkiye, apricots dry in the low-humidity summer. In Aydın, figs stay on the tree until they ripen, partly dry and drop. What reaches the kitchen is the same fruit with most of its water gone and its sugar concentrated into something that keeps for months. This guide follows raisins, apricots, figs and prunes from the orchard to the pot. The color of a raisin or an apricot, and the type and grade on a bag of raisins, trace back to how the water came out.

What drying does

Drying preserves fruit by taking out water, and the standards that govern the big crops put numbers on how much is left. A US Grade A seedless raisin may hold no more than 18 percent moisture by weight, or 19 percent for the Monukka variety. The EU specification for Malatya apricots sets moisture at 20 to 25 percent, and the specification for Aydın figs caps water at 20 percent. The sugar stays behind and becomes concentrated: both the Malatya and the Aydın specifications require at least 50 percent total sugar in the finished fruit.

The loss shows on the scale. California's raisin industry describes more than 2.2 billion pounds of fresh grapes going into the roughly 500 million pounds of raisins the state grows in a typical year. That works out to about 4.4 pounds of grapes for every pound of raisins. The Malatya specification gives about 3.5 kilograms of fresh apricots for each kilogram dried.

Sun, tunnel and sulfur

Sun. In the traditional method for California's natural raisins, workers hand-pick the grape clusters and lay them on clean paper trays between the rows of vines. The grapes are turned during a drying period of two to three weeks so they get enough sun to become dark raisins. Growers also dry grapes on the vine itself, or by a continuous tray method in which machines lay the fruit onto paper trays as long as 800 feet.

Tunnel. California prune processors dry the fruit in climate-controlled tunnels, balancing temperature, humidity and time. Golden raisins are made from the same seedless grapes as natural raisins. They are washed, dipped in hot water to soften the skins and dried mechanically.

Sulfur. During drying, golden raisins are exposed to sulfur dioxide gas to prevent oxidation and caramelization, and that is where their golden color comes from. Colorado State University Extension notes that sulfur compounds have been used for centuries to prevent discoloration and reduce spoilage, and that without a pretreatment, light-colored fruit darkens as it dries and in storage. The apricot bin shows the same split. A bright yellow-orange apricot has usually been sulfured; the Malatya specification describes its fruit as sulphurised, with a uniform yellow color. Apricots dried without a pretreatment tend to darken as they dry, so a brown apricot has often been left unsulfured.

Under US labeling rules, sulfiting agents present at 10 parts per million or more in the finished food must be declared on the label. The Colorado State guidance also notes that sulfites may trigger asthmatic reactions in some people, especially those with asthma.

The four great dried fruits

Raisins, sultanas and currants

California's raisins come from about 2,000 growers farming 140,000 acres in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Most are grown within a 60-mile radius of Fresno, and the grapes are harvested in August and September. The US grade standard sorts raisins into types. It lists Seedless raisins (natural, or dipped, vine-dried or similarly processed), Golden Seedless, raisins with seeds, Sultana, Zante Currant and mixed types. Under the US standard, then, a "currant" is a raisin type, and golden raisins and sultanas are separate categories. Grades run from A to C. Grade A requires similar varietal character, good typical color and flavor, and at least 80 percent of the raisins well matured or reasonably well matured, within the moisture limit above.

Apricots

The name Malatya Kayısısı has been a Protected Designation of Origin in the EU since 2017. It covers the Hacıhaliloğlu variety grown in the Upper Euphrates basin, where the city sits at 910 meters. The specification credits the low relative humidity and abundant sunlight at harvest time as the conditions that make the area suited to drying fruit. It also grades the fruit by count, from size 0, the jumbo, at no more than 80 apricots per kilogram, down to size 8 at 221 or more.

Figs

Aydın İnciri, registered as an EU Protected Designation of Origin in 2016, is the name for dried Sarılop figs grown around Aydın. Between June 5 and 20, growers hang the fruit of male caprifig trees in the female Sarılop trees so that the fig wasp, Blastophaga psenes, can carry pollen. The specification names this step, caprification, as one of the major factors in the figs' quality. At harvest, the figs ripen and partly dry on the tree, fall on their own and are picked up by hand every day. Workers sort them into good fruit and waste as they pick, then carry them to wooden beds to finish drying. The specification allows no more than 90 figs per kilogram.

Prunes

A California prune is a specific plum. During the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s, French families brought the Petit d'Agen variety to California. The Petit d'Agen ripens fully on the tree, pit and all, without fermenting, and the California Prune Board calls it a variety ideal for drying. Harvest begins by mid-August and takes about 30 days. A mechanical shaker grips the trunk or a main limb and shakes the fruit onto a catching frame, and from there it goes to the drying tunnels. The board puts the state at about 99 percent of US prune production and 40 percent of the world's supply, from about 42,000 acres in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys.

Dried fruit in the spice drawer

Dried fruit also reaches the spice drawer. Amchur is green mango powder. Burlap & Barrel's Alphonso Mango Amchur (shop Alphonso Mango Amchur) is green Alphonso mango from the Ratnagiri region of India, grated with a little salt, dried in the sun and ground. The maker describes the result as bright, slightly salty and close to lemon zest. Black lime is a whole lime sun-cured for two to three months until it turns black and hard. For its Ground Black Lime (shop Ground Black Lime), Burlap & Barrel sources limes from partner farmer Don Amilcar in Guatemala and grinds them to a powder. The maker notes that black lime is common in Persian cooking. The Burlap & Barrel producer guide covers the rest of the range.

The four side by side

Fruit Reference crop How it dries What sets the color Ways to use it
Raisins Seedless grapes, San Joaquin Valley, California Two to three weeks in the sun on paper trays, or dried on the vine; about 4.4 lb grapes per lb Sun-dried naturals go dark; goldens are tunnel-dried with sulfur dioxide Baking, grain salads, sardines and fennel, braises
Apricots Hacıhaliloğlu, Malatya, Türkiye Dried after harvest in dry, sunny summer weather; about 3.5 kg fresh per kg Sulfured fruit usually stays yellow-orange; unsulfured fruit tends to brown Cheese boards, tagines and pilafs, compotes
Figs Sarılop, Aydın, Türkiye Part-dried on the tree, fall on their own, finished on wooden beds Pale natural skin; sugar can bloom white on the surface Cheese course, roasted with meat, chopped into bread
Prunes Petit d'Agen, Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys Tree-ripened, machine-shaken, dried in climate-controlled tunnels Dark skin of the plum itself Braises, chicken Marbella, brisket, prune cake

Reading the bag

Five things on the label are worth reading. The type tells what the fruit is: under the US standard, "golden," "sultana" and "Zante currant" are distinct raisin types. On US raisins, the grade, where it is printed, refers to the US A, B and C standards and their limits on moisture, maturity and defects. A sulfite declaration means sulfiting agents were used; US rules require one whenever they are present at 10 parts per million or more. A protected name such as Malatya Kayısısı or Aydın İnciri ties the fruit to a defined variety, place and specification. Size counts, such as fruit per kilogram, tell how large the pieces are.

The white film on figs

Dried figs sometimes come out of the bag dusted white. According to Valley Fig, a California fig packer, this is usually the fruit's own sugar crystallizing on the skin, a process called sugaring. It is edible and does not affect quality. A quick rinse in warm water dissolves it. A few minutes in a low oven turns it into a light glaze instead.

Drying fruit at home

Colorado State University Extension recommends pretreating light-colored fruit with ascorbic acid, citric acid or lemon juice. Fruit is dry when a squeezed handful leaves no moisture on the hand and the pieces spring apart. It should then condition loosely in a covered container, in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place, for four to ten days before storing.

How to store dried fruit

Colorado State University Extension advises packing dried fruit in tightly sealed containers and keeping it in a cool, dry, dark place, or in the refrigerator or freezer. Stored that way, it keeps well for six to twelve months. A sealed jar in a cool, dry, dark cupboard meets that advice. The shelf-by-shelf pantry storage guide places dried fruit alongside the rest of the cupboard, and the nuts storage guide does the same for nuts.

How to cook with it

Plumping. Dried fruit that is too firm for a recipe can be softened. The extension method is to cover it with boiling water and simmer, covered, until tender, about fifteen minutes. Tea, wine or fruit juice can stand in for the water and add flavor.

With cheese. The cheese course accompaniments guide compares dried apricots and figs with the other things on the board, and the dried fruit compote for cheese recipe serves them warm. Nuts belong on the same board, and the bar nuts guide covers them.

In savory cooking. The California Prune Board points to chicken Marbella and braised brisket as classic homes for prunes. Raisins go into savory cooking too, as in the sardine pasta with fennel and raisins recipe.

Where to start. The browning explainer covers what sugar does under heat, and the dried fruit recipe to learn first is a single dish to start with.

The Ambrosian Pantry is at 263 Josephine Street in Cherry Creek, Denver, and ships nationwide from theambrosianpantry.com.

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