The Wachau
The beautiful cultural landscape Wachau extends around the valley of the Danube river between Melk and Krems and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The name Wachau goes back to Emperor Otto I. back in 972. Numerous discoveries prove that the settlement of the Wachau already began in the Upper Paleolithic. Even relics from Roman times can be admired on the right riverbank of the Danube. Over the millennia, the Danube, not only formed a border river, but also became one of the most important trading routes in the country.
Today, the Wachau is characterized by vineyards and fruit orchards. Especially the Wachau apricot, our biggest treasure from the Wachau, is world-famous and loved.
The Apricot & its Origin
The apricot with its Latin name Prunus Armeniaca (Armenian apple / plum), already reveals that it originates from Armenia, but before that it mastered a 3000-year journey through Central Asia. Alexander the Great brought the apricots to the Mediterranean in the 4th century BC, and the Romans brought the apricots to Central Europe in the 1st century AD. The name apricot is also derived from its later Latin name armellino.
The apricot belongs to the rose-family and the trees reach a height of 4-10m with a spreading crown. The apricot flowers are solitary and white with a slightly reddish glow. Since the blossom is in spring, there is a high risk of freezing. The apricot tree is a self-pollinator. Important for the trees is a wind-protected location and warm, dry soil. The planting of apricot trees is ideally done in spring. The harvest begins in summer and the 4 to 8 cm large, spherical or egg-shaped fruits have a thin, velvety or rarer a smooth, pale yellow to orange-yellow shell, which sometimes has a reddish color on the sun side. Typical of the apricot is the seam running from the stem, which divides the fruit into two halves. Characteristic is the yellowish or orange fruit flesh with a large dark brown stone, in which the soft almonds are. The fruits contain a high content of carotene and provitamin A, which should strengthen the immune system.