prune

1. 1. The partially dried fruit of any of several varieties of the common plum, Prunus domestica.
   2. Any kind of plum that can be dried without spoiling.
2. Slang. An ill-tempered, stupid, or incompetent person.

To make a facial expression exhibiting ill temper or disgust: “Their faces prune at the slightest provocation” (James Wolcott).

[Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *prūna, from Latin prūnum, plum.]

1. To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches of (a plant, for example) to improve shape or growth.
2. To remove or cut out as superfluous.
3. To reduce: prune a budget.

To remove what is superfluous or undesirable.

[Middle English prouinen, from Old French proignier, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *prōretundiāre : Latin prō-, in front; see pro–¹ + Latin rotundus, round (from rota, wheel).]

1. A dried plum. Prunes can be traced back to Roman times and have long been a popular northern European winter fruit because they could be stored without problem. Although any plum can be made into a prune, those with the greatest flavor, sweetness and firmness are best suited for that use. Commercial dehydration has replaced sun-drying as the primary method of producing prunes. Though the best prunes are found in the fall, they're available year-round and come in various sizes (small, medium, large, extra large and jumbo). When purchasing prunes look for those that are slightly soft and somewhat flexible. They should have a bluish-black skin and be blemish-free. Store them airtight in a cool, dry place (or refrigerate) for up to six months. Prunes can be eaten out of hand or used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes. Prune purée, which can be found in jars in most supermarkets, is broadly touted (primarily by the California Prune Board) as a fat substitute. In baked goods, substituting prune purée for butter or other fat can reduce cholesterol to zero and calories by up to 30 percent. The purée contributes moisture, a slightly chewy texture and a pruny flavor that can range from mild to moderately aggressive, depending on the other flavors in the food. 2. A variety of Italian plum. 3. In French, the word prune means "plum," while pruneau means "prune."

verb

To decrease, as in length or amount, by or as if by severing or excising: chop¹, clip¹, crop, cut, cut back, cut down, lop¹, lower², pare, shear, slash, trim, truncate. See increase/decrease.

To cut back, pinch back, or otherwise inhibit or control the growth of a plant to maintain vigor, shape the plant, or spur new growth.

Prunes may symbolize an emotional or creative blockage. They may also represent aging ("wrinkled as a prune").

This article is about the fruit. For other uses, see Prune (disambiguation).

A dried prune.

A prune is any of various plum species, mostly Prunus domesticus or European Plum (commonly referred to as a Sugar Plum). They are usually sold as dried fruit. Fresh plums that are marketed as "prunes" have an oval shape and a more easily removed pit. The dried fruit is wrinkly in texture, and chewy on the inside.

Contents 1 Production 2 Uses 3 Prune juice and its health benefits 4 In popular culture 5 References 6 See also 7 External links

Production

A prune is a dried plum. More than 1,000 cultivars of plums are grown for drying. The main cultivar grown in the US is the Improved French prune. Other varieties include Sutter, Tulare Giant, Moyer, Imperial, Italian, and Greengage. In general, fresh prunes are freestone cultivars (the pit is easy to remove), whereas most other plums grown for fresh consumption are cling (the pit is more difficult to remove). Fresh prunes reach the market earlier than fresh plums and are usually smaller in size.

One of the largest and best-known prune producers is Sunsweet Growers, headquartered in Yuba City, CA, who control more than 2/3 of the prune market worldwide. In the United States, an effort to rebrand "prunes" as "dried plums" began in 2000, to appeal to a younger market who associated prunes with elderly people.^[1] However, only some varieties of plum are called prunes when fresh or dried; others have always been called "dried plums" when dried.^[2]

In India, the prune is known by the Persian name or as Munacca (literally fruit or dried big grapes).

Uses

Prunes are used in cooking both sweet and savory dishes. Stewed prunes, a compote, are a dessert. Prunes are a frequent ingredient in North African tagines. Perhaps the best-known gastronomic prunes are those of Agen (pruneaux d'Agen). Prunes are used frequently in Tzimmes, a traditional Jewish dish in which the principal ingredient is diced or sliced carrots; and in the traditional Norwegian desserts fruktsuppe and sviskekompott.

Prune juice and its health benefits

Prune juice is made by softening prunes through steaming and then putting them through a pulper to create a watery puree. Prunes and their "juice" contain the natural laxative dihydrophenylisatin (related to isatin).^[3] Faster results are obtained by heating the prune juice. Prunes also contain dietary fiber (about 6%, or 0.06 g per gram of prune). Prunes and prune juice are thus common home remedies for constipation. Prunes also have a high antioxidant content. [1][2] In China, the popular summer drink suanmeitang, made with sour prunes, is sometimes thought to have positive effects on acidity in the body. It is also known to taste like BBQ sauce.^[4]

In popular culture

• "A warrior's drink!" - Worf, after being introduced to prune juice by Guinan in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "Yesterday's Enterprise". It becomes his favorite beverage. ^[5]

Rick Charlton has had a few issues of late with his Prune.

• There has long been an urban myth that prune juice is an ingredient in Dr Pepper.^[6]

References

1. ^ Zasky, Jason (c.2002). "TURNING OVER A NEW LEAF: CHANGE FROM 'PRUNE' TO 'DRIED PLUM' PROVING FRUITFUL". Failure Magazine. http://www.failuremag.com/arch_business_dried_plums.html. Retrieved on 2007-04-05. 
2. ^ Zasky, op. cit. "The dried European plums equal prunes while the dried Japanese plums are usually just called dried plums."
3. ^ "Laxative Use and Abuse in the Older Adult: Part I", Vivek Kumar, Sam Yoselevitz, & Steven Gambert, Clinical Geriatrics, April 2007, pp. 37-42
4. ^ Li, Rocky (1 July 2008). "Suanmeitang, Cool and Refreshing, Like a Summer Breeze". Beijing This Month. http://www.btmbeijing.com/contents/en/btm/2008-07/timehonouredbrand/xinyuanzhai. Retrieved on 21 December 2008. 
5. ^ "Worf Quotations". http://tvsothertenpercent.tripod.com/startrek/worf.html. Retrieved on 2007-04-24. 
6. ^ Mikkelson, Barbara (27 February 2007). "Belle Pepper". Snopes. http://www.snopes.com/business/secret/drpepper.asp. Retrieved on 2007-04-05. "Dr Pepper doesn't contain any prune juice, but this rumor has been remarkably long-lived, having been with us since about 1930." 

See also

• Dietary fiber
• Grocer's itch

External links

• INC, International Nut and Dried Fruit Council Foundation
• California Prune Board

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - sveske
v. intr. - snerpe

2.
v. tr. - beskære
v. intr. - skære bort
n. - oprense

idioms:

• pruning hook    gartnerkrog
• pruning knife    gartnerkniv

Nederlands (Dutch)
(be)snoeien, gedroogde pruim

Français (French)
1.
n. - (Culin) pruneau
v. intr. - faire la grimace, faire une grimace de dégoût

2.
v. tr. - (Hort) tailler (arbre)
v. intr. - élaguer, (fig) élaguer, réduire (un budget, des dépenses)
n. - taille (arbre, buisson)

idioms:

• pruning hook    émondoir, cisailles
• pruning knife    serpe, serpette

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - getrocknete Pflaume
v. - affektiert tun oder reden

2.
v. - beschneiden, reduzieren, kürzen
n. - Beschneiden

idioms:

• pruning hook    Heckensichel
• pruning knife    Baummesser

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - ξερό δαμάσκηνο
v. - κλαδεύω, καθαρίζω, (μτφ.) περικόπτω, ψαλιδίζω

idioms:

• pruning hook    κλαδευτήρι
• pruning knife    κλαδευτήρι

Italiano (Italian)
sfoltire, potare, prugna secca

idioms:

• pruning hook/knife    roncola

Português (Portuguese)
n. - ameixa seca (f), pessoa desagradável (f) (coloq.)
v. - podar

idioms:

• pruning hook/knife    podadeira

Русский (Russian)
обрезать, подрезать, слива, чернослив

idioms:

• pruning hook/knife    секатор, садовый нож

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - ciruela pasa, ciruela seca
v. intr. - poner una expresión facial que exhibe disgusto o enojo

2.
v. tr. - podar
v. intr. - reducir, escamondar, cortar
n. - poda

idioms:

• pruning hook    podadera
• pruning knife    podadera

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - katrinplommon, mörk purpurfärg
v. - beskära, skära ner, klippa

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 梅干, 洋李脯, 傻瓜, 乏味的人, 讨厌的人, 深紫红色, 整枝, 减少, 删除

idioms:

• pruning hook    修枝刀
• pruning knife    修枝刀

2. 修剪, 修整, 删除, 剪去, 剪除, 削减, 整枝, 减少

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 梅幹, 洋李脯, 傻瓜, 乏味的人, 討厭的人, 深紫紅色
v. intr. - 整枝, 減少, 刪除

idioms:

• pruning hook    修枝刀
• pruning knife    修枝刀

2.
v. tr. - 修剪, 修整, 刪除, 剪去, 剪除, 削減
v. intr. - 整枝, 減少, 刪除

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 서양자두, 말린 자두
v. intr. - 기분이 좋지 않음을 얼굴에 드러내다

2.
v. tr. - (나뭇가지를) 치다
v. intr. - (불필요한 부분)을 제거하다
n. - 가지치기의 예

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - プルーン, ばか者, 間抜け, スモモ
v. - 刈り込む, 刈り取る, 簡潔にする, …から取り除く, 切り取る

idioms:

• pruning hook/knife    刈り込み鎌

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) خوخ مجفف (فعل) شذب, قلم, نقح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮שזיף מיובש, טיפש, בלתי-אהוב‬
v. intr. - ‮עיקם את פניו בסלידה, זעף‬
v. tr. - ‮חתך, גזם‬
v. intr. - ‮סילק את המיותר או הלא-רצוי‬
n. - ‮גיזום, חיתוך‬

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