The reason you soak dried apricots is to keep the dried apricots plump and moist and to prevent the dried apricots from absorbing excess liquid from your recipe.
The best substitute for dried apricots is nectarines and peaches which work well in most recipes that call for apricots.
Apricots resemble peaches and nectarines, but tend to be smaller in size.
Their flavor is tart, but their texture is rich and creamy.
Coughing when you eat dried apricots is because of sulphur dioxide and other sulphite preservatives that are used in order to preserve dried apricots which can result in and cause respiratory and other adverse reactions including coughing.
Also a compound called amygdalin is present in apricot kernels.
This compound converts into cyanide after consumption.
Cyanide poisoning can lead to nausea, headaches, thirst, lethargy, nervousness, fever, joint pain, muscle pain, and reduced blood pressure.
Compounds in peaches, apricots, and plums can cause allergic reactions in some people soon after they eat them.
Usually the resulting allergic symptoms are limited to the gastrointestinal tract, but in some cases include systemic symptoms, which can affect other organs and tissues of the body.
Dried tree fruit such as apricots, peaches, apples and pears are usually heavily sulphited unless from specialty stores.
Apricots are a recommended health food. Obviously dried apricots count as one of your five a day.
The recommended portion is 30gms (3 or 4 apricots).
Too much dried fruit can cause an upset stomach in some people.
"Due to the high fiber content and certain natural sugar alcohols, some dried fruits can cause GI distress from bloating, gas, and diarrhea.
While dried fruits are packed with nutrients, they are also high in histamine.
Symptoms of sulfite intolerance include flushing, fast heartbeat, wheezing, hives, dizziness, stomach upset and diarrhoea, collapse, tingling or difficulty swallowing.
Dried apricots are a type of traditional dried fruit. When treated with sulfur dioxide, the color is vivid orange.
Organic fruit not treated with sulfur vapor is darker in color and has a coarser texture. Generally, the lighter the color, the higher the SO₂ content.
Dried apricots also contain plenty of essential nutrients, like vitamin C, vitamin A, phosphorus, calcium and potassium.
The dried apricots also include a fair amount of fiber.