Jamie, here's a funny story. When our kids were in their early teens, someone gave us a decent-size container of homemade fudge sauce. My wife and I liked to scrape out a spoonful after dinner. To prevent our kids from finding our stash, I labeled the container Prune Compote. It was effective for quite a while, until one decided to see exactly what "prune compote" was. We still make references to it 30 years later.
I suddenly got hungry for the leathery dried prunes in my fridge while reading this engaging account of the elegant pruneaux au vin of France and their rich and delicious history. It really is a far cry from the stewed prunes my dad ate so religiously every morning (for medicinal reasons!). I can only imagine how delicious they would be with ice cream, whipped cream or even pound cake! Thank for another excellent piece, Jamie!
I love prunes. I think you and I share a similar heritage and prunes were a big part of that. My dad made big pots of stewed pruned and dried apricots but I loved them so much! But they aren’t anything like prunes in spiced and sweetened wine!
I think you may be right about the shared heritage. My mother used to stew prunes for my father, but she also stewed mixed dried fruits, including prunes, apricots, peaches and pears, with a few raisins thrown in. There weren’t any added spices or wine, but the syrup would be quite sweet and a little thick. It was my favorite part!
My poor Mom used to tuck a box of prunes into my suitcase when I went on long visits with friends as a child! It was mortifying. One great benefit was I eventually developed a deep overriding love of prunes. Can’t wait to try! Amazing history!
I would have loved to understand why your mom packed prunes and where she got that idea from! Curious!! I grew up loving prunes, and my dad's stewed prunes and apricots was a great treat! I love it more when they are poached in wine, though. I do hope tou try this and when you do let me know what you think!
Well, let’s just say I was a bit retentive, and Mom tried to ease me out of the situation. It was rooted in a fear of overflowing the toilet which became a self fulfilling prophecy!
Growing up I only heard about prunes from elderly relatives because they had "health" problems.
As an adult I worked in food service at a VA hospital. Prunes were served warm to patients with "health" problems. I finally tried some. Boy, was I surprised by how good they tasted. Granted they were just plain, but after reading your article I can't wait to try your recipe. Love reading your food history writing. Thank you for lessons and recipes.
Thank you!!! And I am sorry that prunes have always get a bad rap… I’m lucky I grew up with them in the house. They were a treat! Especially dad’s stewed prunes! I’m glad you like them now and definitely try them in wine!
Thank you once again, Jamie. Another fun culinary history tour and perhaps an explanation of why prunes, in some form or other were always somewhere in my father and his siblings daily diets.
I understood Daily prune consumption as a routine of his father handed down from his Spanish grandfather. My grandfather and all of his children lived to near or beyond 100, so perhaps there were some health benefits after all.
Unfortunately prunes were never so elegantly prepared as you described. Had they been, perhaps I would have continued the tradition.
Hmmmm they all lived to be 100? Maybe I need to eat prunes every day. Oh wait, I do! But I do think I should poach them in spiced wine first more often. Thank, as always, for reading and for always leaving your thoughts and stories!
Jamie — I just adore your writing style! You bring this knowledge out in full color and brevity to keep readers like me engaged in full. I have already planned on making Chicken Marbella this weekend and just bought my prunes yesterday for this. Having been a chef for the majority of my life, I love seeing how the sausage is made and I have literally seen this process from slaughter through to casing and cooking. The proverbial sausage with this, for me, is the medieval cooking of plums — oven specs, pan and utensil specs, fire (wood types, amounts, etc.), time and just the kitchen generalities involved. I’ll google it. Thanks for the article!
I was just talking to a good friend of mine, an archeologist who has a specialty in medieval glassware. I asked her about cooking utensils and she didn't know. She also claimed not many archeologists or historians that she knew of were interested in it. But I am so fascinated by that whole period of food history and want to know more!! Let me know what you find! DM me (you can do that now on Substack) any links you find! And thanks so much for reading my posts and leaving your thoughts here. And I'm thrilled you enjoy it!
Jamie, here's a funny story. When our kids were in their early teens, someone gave us a decent-size container of homemade fudge sauce. My wife and I liked to scrape out a spoonful after dinner. To prevent our kids from finding our stash, I labeled the container Prune Compote. It was effective for quite a while, until one decided to see exactly what "prune compote" was. We still make references to it 30 years later.
haha I guess "prune compote" became a code...
It did, and is still.
I suddenly got hungry for the leathery dried prunes in my fridge while reading this engaging account of the elegant pruneaux au vin of France and their rich and delicious history. It really is a far cry from the stewed prunes my dad ate so religiously every morning (for medicinal reasons!). I can only imagine how delicious they would be with ice cream, whipped cream or even pound cake! Thank for another excellent piece, Jamie!
I love prunes. I think you and I share a similar heritage and prunes were a big part of that. My dad made big pots of stewed pruned and dried apricots but I loved them so much! But they aren’t anything like prunes in spiced and sweetened wine!
I think you may be right about the shared heritage. My mother used to stew prunes for my father, but she also stewed mixed dried fruits, including prunes, apricots, peaches and pears, with a few raisins thrown in. There weren’t any added spices or wine, but the syrup would be quite sweet and a little thick. It was my favorite part!
Yes that’s exactly it!
My poor Mom used to tuck a box of prunes into my suitcase when I went on long visits with friends as a child! It was mortifying. One great benefit was I eventually developed a deep overriding love of prunes. Can’t wait to try! Amazing history!
I would have loved to understand why your mom packed prunes and where she got that idea from! Curious!! I grew up loving prunes, and my dad's stewed prunes and apricots was a great treat! I love it more when they are poached in wine, though. I do hope tou try this and when you do let me know what you think!
Well, let’s just say I was a bit retentive, and Mom tried to ease me out of the situation. It was rooted in a fear of overflowing the toilet which became a self fulfilling prophecy!
This is lovely though, to be fair, the less I'm reminded of my dad's stewed prunes the better.
Lol poor you. I’m lucky my dad’s were excellent!
Growing up I only heard about prunes from elderly relatives because they had "health" problems.
As an adult I worked in food service at a VA hospital. Prunes were served warm to patients with "health" problems. I finally tried some. Boy, was I surprised by how good they tasted. Granted they were just plain, but after reading your article I can't wait to try your recipe. Love reading your food history writing. Thank you for lessons and recipes.
Thank you!!! And I am sorry that prunes have always get a bad rap… I’m lucky I grew up with them in the house. They were a treat! Especially dad’s stewed prunes! I’m glad you like them now and definitely try them in wine!
Thank you once again, Jamie. Another fun culinary history tour and perhaps an explanation of why prunes, in some form or other were always somewhere in my father and his siblings daily diets.
I understood Daily prune consumption as a routine of his father handed down from his Spanish grandfather. My grandfather and all of his children lived to near or beyond 100, so perhaps there were some health benefits after all.
Unfortunately prunes were never so elegantly prepared as you described. Had they been, perhaps I would have continued the tradition.
Hmmmm they all lived to be 100? Maybe I need to eat prunes every day. Oh wait, I do! But I do think I should poach them in spiced wine first more often. Thank, as always, for reading and for always leaving your thoughts and stories!
Jamie — I just adore your writing style! You bring this knowledge out in full color and brevity to keep readers like me engaged in full. I have already planned on making Chicken Marbella this weekend and just bought my prunes yesterday for this. Having been a chef for the majority of my life, I love seeing how the sausage is made and I have literally seen this process from slaughter through to casing and cooking. The proverbial sausage with this, for me, is the medieval cooking of plums — oven specs, pan and utensil specs, fire (wood types, amounts, etc.), time and just the kitchen generalities involved. I’ll google it. Thanks for the article!
I was just talking to a good friend of mine, an archeologist who has a specialty in medieval glassware. I asked her about cooking utensils and she didn't know. She also claimed not many archeologists or historians that she knew of were interested in it. But I am so fascinated by that whole period of food history and want to know more!! Let me know what you find! DM me (you can do that now on Substack) any links you find! And thanks so much for reading my posts and leaving your thoughts here. And I'm thrilled you enjoy it!
Now I'd like you to write about the Prunes of Tomorrow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5NxG_rr5aU&t=2s
What the what??? How did you find that??? 😀
Google is magic.
Indeed LOL
Hilarious! They still haven’t cracked the wrinkles..maybe something g to plump them like, I don’t know, wine?
lol yup!