Dried fruits are dried fruits or berries with a residual moisture content of about 20 %. They are dried either naturally in the sun or by industrial methods such as dehydrators or vegetable dryers. They are rich in vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6) and minerals (iron, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium), contain about 250 kcal and 1.5 - 5g protein per 100g.

Pros of dried fruit:

• Long shelf life.
• Do not require refrigeration.
• Convenient substitute for fresh fruit out of season.

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  Subtleties of use:
• Lose much of their vitamin C when dried.
• Have a sweeter or sour-sweet taste and intense flavour due to loss of moisture. 

Dried fruit is widely used in cookery, added to baked goods, fruit breads, breakfast cereals, muesli, sweets and also used to make compote.