Damson

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Damson

The damson or damson plum (Prunus
Prunus

Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs, including the plums, cherry, peaches, apricots and almonds. It is traditionally placed within the rose family Rosaceae as a subfamily, the Prunoideae , but sometimes placed in its own family, the Prunaceae ....
domestica subsp. insititia, or sometimes Prunus insititia) is an edible drupaceous fruit, a subspecies of the plum

Plum

A plum or gage is a drupe tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and the side buds solitary , the flowers being grouped 1-5 together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one side, and a smooth stone....
tree. Sometimes called the Damask Plum, Damsons are commonly used in the preparation of jams and jellies. The plum brandy slivovitz

Slivovitz

Slivovitz is a distilled beverage made from Damson plums. It is frequently called plum brandy If anyone else has a dictionary of some Slavic language that translates your word for slivovitz as "plum brandy", please add additional citations here. and is part of the category of drinks called rakia....
is made from fermented damson fruit.

The term "damson" is often used to describe red wines with rich yet acidic plummy flavors.

name damson derives from the Latin prunum damascenum, "plum of Damascus".

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Encyclopedia

Plum

Slivovitz

History

The name damson derives from the Latin prunum damascenum, "plum of Damascus". Damsons were first cultivated in antiquity

Ancient history

Ancient history is the history from the History of writing until the Early Middle Ages in Europe, the Qin Dynasty in China, the Chola Empire in India, and some less defined point in the rest of the world ....
in the area around the ancient city of Damascus

Damascus

Damascus is the capital and largest city of Syria. It is List of oldest continuously inhabited cities and its current population is estimated at about 4,000,000....
, capital of modern-day Syria

Syria

Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is an Arab-majority country in Southwest Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Israel to the southwest, Jordan to the south, Iraq to the east, and Turkey to the north....
, and were introduced into England

England

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the Roman Republic phase of the Ancient Rome, characterised by an autocracy form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Remnants of damsons are often found during archaeological digs of ancient Roman camps across England, and ancient writings describe the use of damson skins in the manufacture of purple dye. Similar to a "Bullace," the damson was introduced into the American colonies by English

England

American Revolution

The American Revolution refers to the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which the Thirteen Colonies of North America overthrew the governance of the British Empire and then rejected the British monarchy to become the sovereign United States of America....
and are regarded as thriving better in the eastern United States than other European plum varieties.

Characteristics

The damson is identified by its small, oval shape (though slightly pointed at one end), smooth-textured yellow

Yellow

Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, but does not significantly stimulate the S cone cells; that is, light with much red and green but not very much blue....
-green

Green

Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520?570-Nanometre....
flesh, and skin from dark blue

Blue

Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440?490 Nanometre....
to indigo

Indigo

Indigo is the color on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nanometre in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet . Although traditionally considered one of seven divisions of the optical spectrum, modern color scientists do not usually recognize indigo as a separate division and generally classify wavelengths shorter...
. The tree blossoms with small, white flowers in early April and fruit is harvested in late August or early September.

The skin of the damson is heavily acidic, rendering the fruit unpalatable to some for eating out of hand (for which the "President Plum" variety is better suited). Because of this acidic, tart flavour, damsons are commercially grown for preparation in jellies

Fruit preserves

Fruit preserves refers to fruits or vegetables that have been prepared and canning for long term storage. The preparation of fruit preserves traditionally involves the use of pectin as a gelling agent, although sugar or honey may be used as well....
and jams. A range of varieties of damson are available, with some such as 'Merryweather' being more appropriate for eating when ripe straight from the tree while varieties such as 'Farleigh' benefit from cooking.

Other Uses

Damson wine is a favorite among some people. Damson gin

Damson gin

Damson Gin is a liqueur, usually homemade, made from damson macerated in a sugar and gin syrup for eight weeks or more. Vodka is sometimes used in place of the gin....
is made like sloe gin

Sloe gin

Sloe gin is a red coloured liqueur flavoured with Prunus spinosa berry, the fruit of the Prunus spinosa, a relative of the plum. Sloe gin has an ethanol content between 15 to 30 percent by volume ....
, although less sugar is necessary as the damsons are sweeter than sloes. Damson is used to make the Polish brandy slivovitz

Slivovitz