Dried fruit

Dried fruit
Dried fruit and nuts on a platter
Origin	Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, India
Use	Preservation of fruit for use as food
Production	Earliest: Dates and raisins

Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed prior to cooking or being eaten on its own.^[1] either naturally, Drying may occur by sun, through the use of industrial dehydrators, or by freeze drying.^[2] Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating to the fourth millennium BC in Mesopotamia, and is valued for its sweet taste, nutritional content, and long shelf life.

In the 21st century, dried fruit consumption is widespread worldwide. Nearly half of dried fruits sold are raisins, followed by dates, prunes, figs, apricots, peaches, apples, and pears.^[3] These are referred to as "conventional" or "traditional" dried fruits: fruits that have been dried in the sun or in commercial dryers. Many fruits, such as cranberries, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and mango are infused with a sweetener (e.g., sucrose syrup) prior to drying. Some products sold as dried fruit, like papaya, kiwifruit and pineapple, are most often candied fruit.