Dried fruit has been around for centuries, and one interesting fact is that dried fruit such as glace or candied fruit has had a longer history than most, being used as a prime ingredient in desserts such as German stollen and Italian panettone for years. In the UK, we have our share of dried fruits in desserts, particularly in the ever-popular mince pie.
Dried fruits such as sultanas and raisins as well as dried apricots, peaches, and pears are used extensively as mixes for ready to eat products such as cereals and muesli, and they are also found in pasta sauces and rice mixes as well (particularly those with a Mediterranean or Middle Eastern twist). If you have your own restaurant or have a food establishment preparing and producing food products, you may be interested to know what you can really do with dried fruit. Here, then, is how to properly utilise dried fruit for your food business or establishment.
Daily menu options
The great aspect of dried fruit is that it can be easily incorporated into a menu since it can be used for breakfast, lunch, snacks, or supper. The most obvious way to use dried fruit for breakfast, for instance, is in cereals or muesli, or in pancakes and waffles and other sweet treats. If you have a food production company and you want to expand your breakfast options, you can include dried fruit in instant oatmeal boxes and packets. Another option would be to add dried fruit such as currants, raisins, figs, and apricots to granola bars and other high energy snacks.
Dried fruit is also being used more in the production of frozen pizzas, especially dried tomatoes and bell peppers. Your lunch menu can also be easily transformed with the addition of dried fruit in vegetable salads and in appetizers.
For dressings and sauces and mixes for bread
If you offer salads in your restaurant, you can make use of dried fruits for more unique and tasty salad dressings and sauces, especially pasta sauces. The same is true if you have a bakery – you can add dried fruit fillings such as sultanas or dried apricots to bread such as focaccia bread to give your customers a unique option.
The use of dried fruit in food and restaurant establishments has expanded in recent years, and one reason for this is its affordability compared to fresh fruit. You can also do more with dried fruit as it doesn’t easily spoil, and it can handle more complex dishes as well. In order to save more on your use of dried fruit, it’s better to look for wholesale dried fruit – this gives you extra savings since buying in bulk often comes with discounts, but just make sure the fruit is of the highest quality.
