Kuqa Apricots

Kuqa Apricots

　　Kuqa has a history of cultivating apricots for over two thousand years, and more than 20 high-quality varieties are still preserved today. Some are as large as chicken eggs, while others are as small as lychees, coming in various colors such as red, white, and yellow—offering a dazzling array of shapes and types. Among them, the Aksimi White Apricot is considered the finest, with thick flesh, minimal fiber, abundant juice, and an intensely sweet flavor. The uniquely delicious Kuqa kernel-filled dried apricots are made from this type of white apricot. The processing method is also distinctive: the flesh is first shaped into a wrapper, then folded to encase a single almond in the middle. This traditional delicacy, with its golden color and honey-like sweetness, was highly popular along the Silk Road.

　　Apricots are one of the most commonly cultivated fruit trees among the Uyghur people. In the oases, nearly every village has apricot orchards, and almost every household grows apricot trees. Kuqa County can even be called the "Apricot Homeland" of Xinjiang. In early summer, as yellow apricots hit the market, they are soon followed by no fewer than twenty varieties, including white apricots, Janali apricots, and pepper apricots. Kuqa apricots not only have thick, richly flavored flesh with a pleasant balance of sweet and sour, but even the pits are sweet. Besides being sold fresh, Kuqa apricots can also be processed into dried apricots and kernel-filled dried apricots.