Origin: China
 

Etymology: From Arabic al-barkuk via Portuguese or Spanish; ultimately from Latin praecoquum, meaning “early ripe.”  

Rosaceae family.

The apricot is a fleshy fruit containing an oval, woody pit: it is therefore classified as a stone fruit.

Nearly 4000 years ago, a fruit belonging to the rose family was discovered on the mountain slopes of China. Thanks to the strong sensory appeal of the apricot’s delicate velvety skin and intensely sweet fragrance and flavor, apricot cuttings traveled across the Persian Empire to the Mediterranean where they flourished. Many popular varieties of the fruit, varying in size, color and flavor, are still grown throughout the world today.