the French word for plum, means in English a dried plum. The word has been used in English in this sense since medieval times (although for several centuries it could also, confusingly, mean a fresh plum).
Prunes all come from a group of oval, black-skinned plums. Their special characteristics are a very high level of sugar, which allows them to be sun dried without fermenting (although nowadays the process is often speeded by drying machinery) and a ‘free’ or easily detached stone, which is uncommon among plums. Prunes turn completely black in drying as the result of enzyme action. This would be considered unacceptable in any other fruit, but is deemed normal in prunes.
Some dried fruits, when reconstituted with water, have an unmistakable resemblance to the original fresh fruit. However, just as raisins seem different from grapes, so do prunes appear to be distinct from plums. For the cook and the consumer they are a fruit in their own right, and a very good one; versatile, convenient, full of flavour. There was a time when the less knowledgeable people in the English-speaking world would snigger at the mention of prunes, which they associated with old age and laxative qualities, but such unsophisticates are nowadays rare.
The most famous prune plum is certainly Prune d'Agen, named after a town in Aquitaine in the south-west of France. In fact, Agen lies on the edge rather than in the centre of the prune region; the prunes were named d'Agen because the Canal du Midi passes through the town, which served as the main ‘port’ for dispatching them. In the singular, the name Prune d'Agen denotes the variety of plum. The plural (prunes d'Agen) refers to the product, the prunes.
It was this same French variety that was taken to California by a Frenchman in the 19th century and is prominent among those used in the California prune industry. Californian production now dominates the international trade in prunes and indeed provides a high proportion of those sold in France itself.
Although the prunes of Agen are generally acknowledged to be the best, there are others whose rank is high, including:
It takes approximately 1.5 kg (3 lb) of fresh plums to produce one of prunes, the loss of weight being accounted for almost entirely by the removal of water. Yet prunes in modern times are moist and succulent. The explanation is that their moisture content, reduced by the initial drying process to 23%, to ensure that they will keep satisfactorily in storage, is restored to a higher level (29% for pruneaux secs, up to 35% for demi-secs) before they are shipped to the markets. This ‘rehydration’ gives them an attractive softness and sheen.
The uses to which prunes can be put, and the further treatments which they may be given, are numerous. Those of Agen are produced in close proximity to Armagnac, so are sometimes sold in jars containing this brandy, or steeped in a little of it before use. They may also be steeped in wine, or in tea, or of course in water; and they need not be steeped at all if they are to be incorporated in a dish which contains liquid, especially if the dish calls for long cooking. There are a number of meat or game dishes of this sort, notably Lapin aux pruneaux (rabbit with prunes). See also cock-a-leekie.
On the sweet side, a former fashion for prune mousses or prune soufflés has been on the wane, but prune compotes, prepared by stewing prunes in red wine, are now more common, as are prune tarts. Prunes stuffed with marzipan make a good sweetmeat.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Souyri, Jean-Claude, and Glory, Norbert (1986), Le Pruneau gourmand, Toulouse: Privat.
