Dried Fruits and Nuts, A Delicious Source of Energy

Widely diffused and used among the Ancient Egyptians, dried fruit came to the Greeks and Romans thanks to the people of the Nile, and since then has never stopped enchanting the palates of gourmands from around the world with its tasty and delicate texture. By “dried fruits and nuts” we generally refer to those types of fruits which, through a drying process (often sundried, as in the past), are deprived of most its water, which allows it to be well-conserved for much longer than its normal fresh period.

The dried fruits and nuts can be divided into two broad categories:

– That which is of glucose, rich in sugars and low in fat (such as apricots, pineapple, apples, grapes, bananas, dates, prunes, figs, blueberries, mango, etc.), Known as non-oily nuts and actually dehydrated.

– That characterized by lipids, rich in fat and low in sugar (such as peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, chestnuts, cashews), which includes in addition to the fruit also many seeds, already dry foods by nature.

In Italian, the expression “dried fruits” groups both fruits and nuts into one term, being careful however, not to take away from the singular flavors that you can discover among these delicacies. There is in fact, a wide range of delicacies, united by the power of the high energy they provide: the dehydration of this food in fact, allows for greater focus on its nutrients, obtaining at the same time, a product whose weight is par to its particularly rich nutrients. Nutrition experts indeed recommend the consumption of dried fruits and nuts in all seasons because of the plethora of energetic substance which abound: minerals, vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids that fight cholesterol buildup.

Tasty and healthy, fast and convenient, it is the perfect food to enjoy after a meal, or as a snack, as it is a source of ready-made, no-mess, easy energy. Furthermore, the dried fruit is also an excellent ingredient to incorporate in recipes, especially in pastries (the famous candied fruit). In short, a simple food that is as tasty as it is ancient, another excellence Made in Italy, although it is not exclusive to the Belpaese, but Italy, thanks to its culinary variety and natural wealth, has all the best products of the highest quality in the world, and this also applies to dried fruits and nuts. Seeing is believing!