Syrian Dried Fruits in the Global Markets

“Syria was specialist in making Dried Fruits in the world since 1892”

The famous reputation for the damascene Dried Fruits has spread worldwide.

Mohammad basher Sliq confirms to Syria Times that the father of his grandfather Naseeb Sliq was the first dried fruit-maker and specialist in making it in the world since 1892.

He adds that his family began this work in the dried fruit industry in their workshop in al bzourieh and then Jawdat sliq transferred the work in 1918 to their workshop in salhiya in addition to Bzourieh in this place he took a photo with the poet Nizar qabbani whose father was according to the source one of the dried fruit makers.

Sliq said they make these fruits now from bitter orange or citron, apricots, apples, pears, strawberries, plums, peaches, eggplant, cherry and they put them within different packages for exporting them to Arab and foreign countries. Sliq pointed out that his family and several families of Damascus and Syria make this type of dried fruit such as families of the ” ghrawi and zenbarakjy allham” and other and these dried fruit are sold by about ten dollars per kg outside Syria.

Sliq added that some people seek to manufacture large quantities of these dried fruit, packaging them and then exporting  them to stores in several world capitals.

According to Ahmed Ibrahim the owner of a factory for the manufacture of sweets, dried fruit and chocolate, he makes about 50 tons per year of these dried fruit and sell 80 percent of his production to Iraq, Russia, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, France, Germany, Australia and the United States.

The researcher Adriana Kalliora from the University of hardekober in Athens says that she has conducted research that showed that the dried fruit inhibit some types of cancer and dried fruits contain high levels of Alboninfitol substance and that researchers began to understand its impact of preventive health.

With no knowledge of the mechanisms of work for dried fruit to curb certain types of cancer it appears that the extracts of dried fruit work to stop the spread of cancer cells especially in the breast and kill them and prevent inflammation.

The doctor essam Shaaban says that the dried fruits are rich in fiber up to 4-5 times than the fresh fruits to help digestion and do not upset the Intestine. They  also provide the body with energy and help fight cancer and heart disease and work to strengthen the bones because they are rich in two elements boron and potassium.

And dried fruits are made in several stages in the first stage  they sort the fruits and select the best of them and then they puncture the kernels from their side, in the second stage they put them for evaporation to get disinfected before putting  them in the boiling water and  then adding  sugar and citric acid. Later on the dried fruits would be exposed to sun light for a week and then stored for the fifth stage where it is dried at this stage by putting the refineries to remove quantities of the sugar for a full-day on the second day they add gelatin and in the final stage the fruit placed in the white leaves of butter and wrapped and packed in containers for final consumption.

Haifaa Mafalani