The dry fruits of Gilgit-Baltistan are led by the apricot: the region grows more apricots than anywhere else in Pakistan, and sun-dried apricots are the one thing almost every visitor takes home. Walnuts, almonds, white mulberries and apricot kernels make up the rest. Buy them in the valley bazaars of Hunza, Gilgit and Skardu, and if you can, travel from late summer onwards, when the new season's crop has been dried and reaches the shops.
This guide covers each fruit in turn, when it is harvested, how to tell good quality from poor, and how to pay a fair price.
| At a glance | Harvested | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Apricots | June to September, by variety and altitude | Soft, evenly dried, clean, no mould |
| Apricot kernels | With the apricots | Know whether they are sweet or bitter |
| Walnuts | Autumn | Pale kernels, no bitter or stale smell |
| Almonds | Late summer | Plump, even kernels |
| White mulberries | Early summer | Pale gold, dry but not hard |
| Best time to buy | From late summer, when the new crop is in |
Apricots: the region's main crop
Apricots are to Gilgit-Baltistan what mangoes are to Multan. Almost every village household has trees, and there are around 60 local varieties. The trees flower in March and April, and our guide to Hunza's blossom season covers that spectacle. The fruit ripens from June in the lower, warmer valleys through to August and later higher up, depending on the variety.
A few names are worth knowing:
- Halman is the best-known drying apricot, prized because it is sweet and dries quickly. It ripens from late July into August and is grown widely in Baltistan.
- Alishah Kakas is a Hunza variety known for its sweetness and firm texture.
- Many other local varieties are sold simply as "Hunza" or "Skardu" apricots.
Most apricots are dried the old way, in the sun on flat roofs, rocks and mats, which takes about a week. In late summer many rooftops in Hunza and Baltistan are covered in drying fruit.
Sun-dried or sulphured?
This is the main thing to understand when you buy.
- Sun-dried apricots with nothing added turn brown or dark amber. They look less attractive but taste of apricot and are what the valleys eat themselves.
- Sulphured apricots keep a bright orange colour, because they have been treated with sulphur, by dipping in a solution or smoking over burning sulphur, before drying. They are fine to eat, but anyone with asthma or a sulphite sensitivity should avoid them.
If a pile of apricots is a uniform, glowing orange, it has been sulphured. Ask for the untreated ones if that is what you want.
Whole, halved or seedless?
Traditional Hunza dried apricots are dried whole with the stone inside, so you get the kernel as well. Halves and stoned apricots are easier to eat and to cook with, and you are not paying for the weight of the stones.
Apricot kernels: sweet and bitter
Crack an apricot stone and you find the kernel, and in Gilgit-Baltistan kernels are a food in their own right. They come in two kinds, and the difference matters.
Sweet kernels taste like a mild almond and are eaten as a snack, often roasted lightly with salt. They are also pressed to make the cooking oil that Hunza has used for generations.
Bitter kernels are pressed for oil for hair and skin. They contain amygdalin, which the body turns into cyanide, and they should not be eaten as a snack. The European Food Safety Authority advises that an adult should eat no more than about three small raw kernels at a time, and a toddler no more than half of one. Never give bitter kernels to children.
When you buy kernels, ask which kind they are, and taste one; a bitter kernel is unmistakable.
Walnuts
Walnut trees line the villages of Hunza, Nagar and Baltistan, and the nuts are picked in autumn. Local walnuts are sold in the shell and as shelled kernels. Thin-shelled walnuts, which crack easily by hand, are sold as kaghzi and usually cost more.
- Buy in the shell if you want them to keep. Shelled walnuts go stale much faster.
- Check shelled kernels by smell and taste. Good ones are pale and sweet; dark, bitter or oily-smelling kernels are old.
- Store them cool. Kept in an airtight jar in the fridge, walnuts stay fresh for months.
Almonds and mulberries
Almonds are grown in Baltistan, and local almonds are sold in the Skardu bazaar, in the shell and shelled. Ask for local almonds by name, since shops also stock almonds brought in from elsewhere.
White mulberries, shahtoot, ripen in early summer and are dried in the sun into small, chewy, pale-gold berries with a honeyed taste. They are usually cheaper than nuts and make a good snack for long drives. Dried black mulberries and dried cherries are also sold, in smaller quantities.
Where to buy
The best places are the valleys where the fruit grows:
- Karimabad and Aliabad in Hunza, where the bazaar shops sell apricots, mulberries, walnuts, kernels and apricot oil.
- Gilgit, the trading town, which has the widest choice.
- Skardu, Shigar and Khaplu in Baltistan, where Halman apricots and local almonds are grown.
- Roadside sellers and village shops along the Karakoram Highway and the Skardu road, especially in late summer and autumn.
Apricot oil, woollens, embroidery and gems are covered in our souvenir guide to Gilgit-Baltistan.
How to judge quality and pay a fair price
Prices change with each harvest and vary widely by grade, variety and seller, so a single figure would mislead more than it helps. What you can do is judge the fruit and compare.
- Check the season. In early summer, before the new crop is dried, what is on sale is last year's stock. It may be fine, but it will be drier and harder. From late summer the fruit is new.
- Look closely. Good dried apricots are soft and pliable, evenly dried and clean. Reject any that are sticky, dusty, mouldy or smell musty.
- Ask the price in two or three shops for the same item and grade before buying. Bargaining is normal for fruit sold loose by the kilo.
- Ask where it was grown. A seller who can name the village is usually selling local fruit. A label saying "Hunza" on a sealed packet in a city shop proves nothing.
- Pay in cash. Card machines are rare in the valley bazaars; our travel guide covers money in the north.
Getting it home
Dried fruit travels well. Keep it in the bags or boxes the shop gives you, double-bagged in case of spills, and put it in your checked luggage if you are flying. At home, store apricots and mulberries in airtight jars somewhere cool, and walnuts and almonds in the fridge.
If you are driving, don't leave dry fruit on the back shelf of the car on a hot day in the plains; it sweats and turns sticky.
Is it worth buying dry fruit in Gilgit-Baltistan?
Yes, especially sun-dried apricots, mulberries and walnuts in the shell, bought from late summer onwards in the valleys where they grow. They are fresher than most of what reaches city shops, and the money goes to growers who depend on the crop.
The things not to bother with are sealed packs with "Hunza" printed on them, which tell you nothing about where the fruit was grown, and bitter kernels as a snack.
Frequently asked questions
Which dry fruits are Gilgit-Baltistan famous for?
Apricots above all, followed by walnuts, almonds, white mulberries and apricot kernels. Dried cherries and black mulberries are also sold.
When is the best time to buy dry fruit in Hunza?
From late summer into autumn, once the new apricot crop has been dried and the walnuts have been picked. In early summer most of what is on sale is last year's stock.
Why are some dried apricots brown and others orange?
Brown apricots are sun-dried with nothing added. Bright orange ones have been treated with sulphur to keep their colour, which people with asthma or a sulphite sensitivity should avoid.
Are apricot kernels safe to eat?
Sweet kernels are eaten as a snack. Bitter kernels contain amygdalin, which turns into cyanide in the body, so adults should eat no more than about three small ones at a time, and children none.
Is dry fruit cheaper in Hunza than in Lahore or Karachi?
Usually, for local apricots, mulberries and walnuts bought loose in the valley, though it depends on the grade. Compare prices in a few shops before buying, and bargain for loose fruit.
.jpg){kind=link}