Plum

Of the genus Prunus domestica, an oval or globe-shaped fruit with an oblong seed, native to most temperate climates. When dried, it becomes a prune. In most cases, plums will ferment if dried without removing the stone. Prunes, then, are varieties that can be dried without removing the pit. Plums were part of the diet of prehistoric Swiss lake dwellers (who lived in villages found in or near lakes), in whose ruins plum pits have been found. Plums were gathered and eaten by Stone Age tribes in Europe.

The plum is native to China and has been grown there since ancient times. About 300 years ago, plums were introduced to Japan. When the famous American horticulturist Luther Burbank brought them to California a century ago, they were called "Japanese plums", and the name stuck, even though it's not accurate, because they originally came from China. There are also native American plums, but none is produced commercially in any quantity. California alone grows about 40 varieties commercially. When the first Pilgrims landed, Indians from New England to Florida were enjoying plums. True plums were introduced by the colonists and soon cultivated.

Perhaps the best-known plum is the Damson, named after Damascus, which were originally cultivated in the Caucasus and then spread to the Mediterranean before the time of Christ. Damsons are also known in England as "greengage", introduced in the early 18th century by Sir William Gage, the husband of Cecilia Culpeper, the daughter of the famous British herbalist Nicholas Culpeper. In France, they were introduced as Reine Claude in the 16th century. See also prunes.

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