What is the Difference between Prunes and Dried Plums?
Dried plums are a new name for the old classic name of prunes. Prunes became associated with achieving regularity in bowel movements, and in some cases with a food frequently served to the elderly in convalescent or rest homes. In some cases prunes began to be marketed specifically for their use as a “health food” and began to be associated with being elderly. In order to appeal to a younger market, the California Prune Board began to pressure the Food and Drug Administration to change the name of prunes to dried plums. The name change became official in 2000. Hence, dried plums typically marketed in the US are actually prunes with a new name. These dried plums are usually of the European type, called the d’Agen plum, the European or the Italian plum.
