How to make apricots in syrup

When the fruit season arrives that we cannot find the rest of the year, I like to prepare them in different ways to preserve them for a long time. It is true that the ideal is to consume it fresh, but this is not always possible. So we can cook them in different ways to enjoy them during the following months. I usually make a lot of jams, fruit cheese (cider apple is my favourite)… But preserving them in syrup is another fantastic option that we should not overlook. So today I show you how to make apricots in syrup.

This fruit has a relatively short season, from May to August, so as soon as they are available I am preparing preserves to be consumed during the following months. It is true that I have never made them in syrup before, as we usually do with peaches. That is why this year I decided to try them to see how they would turn out and… we loved them!

Origin of candied and preserved fruits.

Contrary to what we may believe, the origin of this method, which allows fruits to be preserved in perfect condition over time, is very ancient. It goes back to the Stone Age, no less. To be able to discover a way of preserving food without spoiling it was a great evolutionary advance for humanity. This allowed us to survive in periods of scarcity, as well as allowing us to dedicate more time to other activities than just looking for food.

The production of canned fruits, as we know them and consume them today, dates back to Roman times. They kept the fruits in honey to preserve them for long periods of time. At that time, sugar was still unknown.

It seems that it was the merchants who initiated this method of preservation, so that they could make use of all their merchandise. They squeezed the citrus juice and then boiled it together with the fruit pulp and sugar. The pectin made the resulting paste dense and gelatinous. This is how the first fruit jams and jellies came about. Just as they discovered that sugar, in large quantities, could be used as a food preservative since it inhibits the growth of bacteria.

The appearance of sugar in our lives.

The first written reference to sugar comes from a military man of Alejandro Magno who places its origin in India:

“There is a type of cane from which honey comes out without the bees being involved.”

In the 7th century, sugar began to spread around the world from Asia. Sugar cane, from which the “salt of India” was extracted, begins to be cultivated in Egypt and North Africa. And from there, it passes to the Iberian Peninsula in the 10th century AD.

At that time, sugar was considered an exotic spice just like salt or pepper. An element that was used to improve the taste of the dishes.

The origin of candied fruit dates back to the 14th century.

This coincides with the popularization of sugar. The process they carried out consisted of introducing whole fruits, cut up or even just the skin, into a hot dense syrup. This absorbed the humidity of the fruit (sugar has a hygroscopic capacity, that is, it absorbs the humidity of the environment) and thus is able to keep for long periods of time.

It is a somewhat more elaborate elaboration process than the one used by the Romans, as well as more economical at least today, but it is based on the same scientific process. Osmosis.

Other historical references that talk about the origin of candied fruit point to the year 1561 as the date when bitter orange jams were born, which soon became the food of royalty (I can understand it… If there is one jam that deserves a world prize, it is the bitter orange jam, without a doubt, along with the ginger jam).

On the other hand, it seems that in the 17th century was when the first “chutney”, sweet and sour fruit compote with spices and vinegar, travelled from India to France and England. It is not until the end of the 18th century that sugar can be said to be known throughout the world.

The French Revolution affected the consumption of these preserves.

With it came some changes besides the beginning of modern society, along with some changes in the gastronomic world. Among them, it is worth mentioning how canned or preserved fruits looked like. They went from being a staple food to a luxury item in high demand by the wealthy middle classes.

The pastry chefs began to work with new methods of conservation and packaging in order to dazzle their consumers.

Today I will show you how to preserve apricots in syrup with a very simple process that requires hardly any elaboration process 😉