Fruit
Italian Prune
A tier
Italian prune (often Fellenberg and similar) is a dark blue-purple European plum elongated for drying, with freestone greenish-amber flesh that turns jammy and raisin-sweet when dehydrated. Fresh fruit is dense and sweet-tart with less watery juice than Japanese salad plums. The heavy natural bloom gives unwashed fruit a dull matte look. Dry into commercial-style prunes, roast for savoury pork dishes, or eat fresh when soft. Pacific Northwest and European prune industries long relied on Italian-type fruit. Superior to watery fresh plums when you need concentrated plum flavour in cooking.
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Grading systems
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History
Italian and Alpine prune-plum types were refined for drying and fresh dual use.
Italian prune stock entered American orchards and became a drying standard.
Northwestern US prune production scaled Italian-type freestone plums.
“Dried plum” marketing still rested largely on Italian prune chemistry and shape.