Apricots are familiar to denizens of the Mediterranean, particularly in Turkey. Americans like their apricots fresh, canned, and dried, and each form has its gastronomical and nutritional benefits. The bright orange-yellow color is a dead giveaway that these velvety little fruits are potent sources of beta-carotene in any form.
Dried apricots are a concentrated source of energy and fiber, as well as many other essential vitamins and minerals. Fresh apricots are richer in vitamin C, and when eaten at the peak of ripeness and slightly warmed by the sun, are an utter delight.
The problem with fresh apricots is that they are incredibly delicate and don’t last long. The apricot season in the United States is approximately May through July, but if apricots aren’t grown near you, you may have trouble finding good fresh ones. Ripe apricots are soft and have a lovely apricot aroma.
If apricots are greenish when picked, they will probably spoil before they ripen, but you can attempt to ripen them by storing them at room temperature in a brown paper bag. Dried apricots and cooked or canned apricots are other delicious and nutritious alternatives.
BANANAS
Although you may not think of bananas as being a typical Mediterranean fruit, bananas are a part of the cuisines of Africa and Spain. Descriptions of bananas can be found in Greek texts from the time of Alexander the Great. Spanish missionaries introduced bananas to many parts of the world, and these cousins of the lily (which, incidentally, grow on very tall plants, not trees) exist in many forms and types throughout the world.
Conveniently wrapped in their own package, bananas are a good source of potassium, that mineral needed for our heart to beat normally. When potassium levels fall dangerously low, which can happen during fasting or with severe diarrhea or vomiting, sudden death can occur. Potassium is also involved in maintaining our body’s fluid balance and keeping our cells healthy. (Oranges, dates, and figs are actually richer sources of potassium than bananas.)
Bananas are delicious when the tips are still green, when the flavor is tangier, and at every stage until the skins are quite dark. The riper the banana, the sweeter it tastes. Cooked bananas are even sweeter, and grilled bananas are a delicious dessert, or even a side dish with a main course. Firmer, less ripe bananas are best for grilling or frying, while very ripe bananas mashed to a pulp are a superb addition to baked goods, and can even take the place of some of the fat.
BERRIES
What a glorious category of fruit! Berries are colorful, fun to eat, juicy, delicious, even fun to pick. They are perfect for cooking or eating raw. Freeze them for an icy treat, bake them into bread, or pop them one after another for a snack.
Berries are delicate and they don’t last long, so buy them, rinse them, and eat them immediately-and often. Berries are beloved in the Mediterranean.
Fragrant wild strawberries are a much-anticipated component of produce markets in Italy, and although the strawberries cultivated in the United States are somewhat different, the spirit remains the same.
Blueberries, cultivated in North America, make a lovely Mediterranean-type dessert and are reminiscent of their cousins the lIngonberries, the blueberry’s European (and Mediterranean) equivalent. Plump, juicy blackberries, tangy raspberries, tart, globe-shaped gooseberries, and the all-American cranberry are other delicious choices. (Cranberries are too tart to eat raw for most people, but they are wonderful cooked into recipes.)
The vibrant colors of berries are a giveaway that these juicy fruits, perfect for snacking, are loaded with cancer- fighting phytochemicals. Flavonoids make blackberries purple-black, blueberries deep blue, and strawberries and raspberries rosy red. Berries are also full of vitamin C, fiber, and folate, all cancer fighters, too. In fact, in the fight against cancer, few foods are more powerful than berries.
Unlike some fruits, berries will last only a day or two in your refrigerator, and a little mold on one berry can transform the whole bowlful into a moldy mess overnight. Even berries untouched by the mold can take on an unpleasant taste. The best choice is to pick your own berries or buy them from a local produce stand or farmer’s market.
Alternatively, berries from the supermarket can be stored layered between paper towels, and lightly rinsed just before serving. Blueberries last slightly longer than other types, such as strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries. Firmer and best used in cooking, cranberries are the exception.
They keep well in the refrigerator and will keep for months in the freezer. When you can’t find them fresh, frozen berries are similarly high in nutrients.
CHERRIES
Although the cherry tree’s unfortunate fate at the hands of little Georgie Washington is the stuff of American legend, cherries have been around for centuries and were probably first domesticated over two thousand years ago in southern Turkey or Greece.
The Romans loved them, and they have been planted and consumed all over Europe for centuries. The cherry varieties most available in the United States are sweet cherries-the popular, mahogany-skinned Bing cherry, the yellow-pink Rainier cherry, the dark red Lambert cherry, and the sweet Vans cherry-and sour cherries, most often used in pie fillings and other cooked desserts. Gaining in popularity are tart-sweet dried cherries.
Cherries are in season in midsummer and arrive at the market fully ripe. They are best handled gently, washed right before eating (when feasible-if not, wash and pat dry, then store in the refrigerator), and eaten as soon as possible.
Choose plump, glossy berries with deep color and strong, intact stems. If you don’t plan to eat your cherries right away, store them in the refrigerator, as you would berries, unrinsed between layers of paper towels, then wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container. Rinse just before serving.
Cherries are rich in quercetin and kaempferol (flavinols), plus other powerful antioxidants. Tart cherries may also have anti-inflammatory properties, making them possible allies in the fight against arthritis pain (the Cherry Marketing Institute suggests eating twenty tart cherries per day to reduce inflammatory pain).