Plum

European vs. Japanese plums

The two main commercial plum types are different species:

• European plum (Prunus domestica) — smaller, oval, purple-blue, denser flesh. Includes Damson, Greengage, Mirabelle, and dried-prune varieties.
• Japanese plum (Prunus salicina) — larger, rounder, often red or yellow, juicier. Most common in U.S. supermarkets.

The two cross naturally to produce diverse hybrids. Modern commercial plums often combine traits from both.

Prunes — the dried form

Dried plums marketed as “prunes” are made from specific high-sugar European plum varieties (especially d’Agen). The drying concentrates sugars, develops complex flavor, and produces shelf-stable food rich in fiber and sorbitol. Prunes’ famous digestive effect comes from their high sorbitol content, which draws water into the colon.

The U.S. food industry rebranded “prunes” as “dried plums” in the 2000s — partly because “prune” had developed an old-people-and-constipation reputation that hurt sales among younger consumers.

Plum brandies

Eastern Europe and the Balkans have strong plum-brandy traditions:

• Slivovitz (Serbian, Slovak, Czech, Croatian, Hungarian) — the canonical plum brandy
• Tuică (Romanian)
• Rakia (Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian)
• Pálinka (Hungarian)

These home-distilled spirits run 40–50% ABV and are central to celebrations, hospitality, and family gatherings. Many rural households still distill their own.

Mirabelle de Lorraine

The small golden Mirabelle plum of Lorraine, France has AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) status. About 70% of the world’s Mirabelle plums come from a small area in eastern France, harvested for just 6 weeks each year (mid-August to mid-September). They’re eaten fresh, baked into tart Mirabelle, or distilled into Mirabelle brandy.

Plumcots and pluots

Modern fruit breeding has produced plumcot (50% plum, 50% apricot) and pluot (75% plum, 25% apricot) hybrids — most developed by California breeder Floyd Zaiger from the 1980s onward. They have plum’s juiciness with apricot’s complex flavor. Cultivars include Dapple Dandy, Dinosaur Egg, Flavor King, and dozens of others.