Pitted Prunes - Pruneaux d'Agen

$7.24

Pruneaux d'Agen (Pitted prunes) by Favols,

Net Weight: 8.8 oz ( 250 g ) No Preservatives Product of France

What distinguishes these prunes from their California counterparts is their rich flavor and tender texture. California prunes are dried longer and at a higher temperature so they are harder, with a caramelized taste. Agen prunes are dried just enough to make them keep, leaving them moist and full of flavor. The plum tree was brought to southwest France from China several centuries BC, and dried plums, or prunes, have been a staple of the region ever since. In the 13th century, Benedictine monks in Clairac, near Agen, succeeded in crossing the local plums with Syrian plums to produce the Ente plum (the name Ente comes from the old French verb enter, to graft). With climate shifts, the cultivation of the plum moved gradually westward; today the plum is cultivated in the valleys of the Lot and Garonne, Gascony, Dordogne, and Quercy. In the 18th century, the prunes were known as Bordeaux prunes, because they were exported from that city; heavy Bordeaux taxes caused the center of export to move to Agen, a port city and later a railway hub, and today they are known worldwide as Agen prunes. They are an essential part of the rich cuisine of the Southwest, where they're used in appetizers (with foie gras, in terrines, or stuffed with Roquefort and hazelnuts), in main dishes, with rabbit (lapin aux pruneaux), duck, pork, or beef (daube aux pruneaux), and in desserts (prune clafoutis).