Prune
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224699312
2008-07-10T00:50:08Z
130.155.241.238
/* Health benefits */
{{otheruses1|the fruit}}
[[Image:Prune.JPG|right|thumb|A prune]]
A '''prune''' is a [[dried fruit]] of various [[plum]] species, mostly ''[[Prunus domestica]]'' or European Plums. The fresh fruit looks like a normal plum, but has an oval shape, similar to an apricot. When dried it is wrinkly in texture, and chewy on the inside.
==Production==
More than 1,000 [[cultivar]]s of plums are grown for drying. The main cultivar grown in the US is the Improved French prune. Other varieties include Sutter, Tulare Giant, Moyer, Imperial, Italian, and [[Greengage]]. In general, prunes are freestone cultivars (the pit is easy to remove), whereas most other plums grown for fresh consumption are cling (the pit is more difficult to remove). Fresh prunes reach the market earlier than fresh plums and are usually smaller in size and have an oval shape.
One of the largest and best-known prune producers is [[Sunsweet Growers]], headquartered in [[Yuba City, CA]], who control more than 2/3 of the prune market worldwide. In the [[United States]], an effort to [[rebrand]] "prunes" as '''"dried plums"''' began in 2000, to appeal to a younger market who associated prunes with [[elderly people]].<ref name="Zasky">{{cite web |url=http://www.failuremag.com/arch_business_dried_plums.html |title=TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF: CHANGE FROM 'PRUNE' TO 'DRIED PLUM' PROVING FRUITFUL |first=Jason |last=Zasky |date=c.2002 |accessdate=2007-04-05 |publisher=Failure Magazine}}</ref> However, only some varieties of plum are usually called prunes when dried; others have usually been called "dried plums" in any case.<ref>Zasky, op. cit. "The dried European plums equal prunes while the dried [[Japanese plum]]s are usually just called dried plums." </ref>
In India, the prune is known by the Persian name or as ''Alu-Bukhara'' (literally fruit or potato of [[Bukhara]]).
==Uses==
Prunes are used in cooking both sweet and savory dishes. Stewed prunes, a [[compote]], are a dessert. Prunes are a frequent ingredient in [[North African cuisine|North African]] [[tagine]]s. Perhaps the best-known gastronomic prunes are those of [[Agen]] (''pruneaux d'Agen''). Prunes are used frequently in [[Tzimmes]], a traditional [[Jewish]] dish in which the principal ingredient is diced or sliced carrots; and in traditional Norwegian fruktsuppe.
==Health benefits==
Prune juice contains the natural [[laxative]] [[dihydrophenylisatin]] (related to [[isatin]]).<ref>
"[http://64.233.179.104/scholar?num=100&hl=en&lr=&as_qdr=all&q=cache:2MrIz--LG6gJ:www.clinicalgeriatrics.com/article/attachments/7056.pdf+dihydrophenylisatin Laxative Use and Abuse in the Older Adult: Part I]", [[Vivek Kumar]], [[Sam Yoselevitz]], & [[Steven Gambert]], [[Clinical Geriatrics]], April 2007, pp. 37-42
</ref> Prunes also contain [[roughage|dietary fiber]] (about 7%, or 0.7 [[gram|g]] per prune). Prunes and prune juice are thus common home remedies for [[constipation]]. (According to the [[dietary fiber]] article, plums and prunes have a thick skin covering a juicy pulp--the plum's skin is a source of insoluble fiber, whereas the pulp is a source of soluble fiber.) Prunes have a high antioxidant content [http://www.sunsweetdryers.com/Sunsweet.htm]. [http://www.biodistributors.com.au/ProdInfFiles/cacao.php]
==In popular culture==
* "A warrior's drink!" - [[Worf]], after being introduced to prune juice by [[Guinan (Star Trek)|Guinan]] in the ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' episode, "[[Yesterday's Enterprise]]". It becomes his favorite beverage. <ref name="Worf">{{cite web |url=http://tvsothertenpercent.tripod.com/startrek/worf.html |title=Worf Quotations |accessdate=2007-04-24 }}</ref>
*There has long been an [[urban myth]] that prune juice is an ingredient in [[Dr Pepper]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.snopes.com/business/secret/drpepper.asp |title=Belle Pepper |first=Barbara |last=Mikkelson |date=[[27 February]] 2007 |accessdate=2007-04-05 |publisher=[[Snopes]] |quote=Dr Pepper doesn't contain any prune juice, but this rumor is remarkably long-lived, having been with us since about 1930.}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Refimprove|date=September 2007}}
==See also==
*[[Dietary Fiber]]
==External links==
*[http://www.californiadriedplums.org California Prune Board]
[[Category:Dried fruit]]
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