Dyed and Polished Dry Fruits (Mewa): Apricots, Kishmish, Pista

Most “dyed dry fruits” scares are really about three legal things (sulphite on bright orange khubani, a thin oil on kishmish, colour on pista shells) and a few illegal ones (non-food dyes, mineral oil, heavy sugar glaze). A damp white tissue, a warm rinse and a label will sort most of it. This guide shows what each shine or colour means, and when to walk away.

Are dyed dry fruits actually a problem?

Sometimes.

A lot of what looks “treated” in a mewa shop is ordinary food processing that’s allowed and should be on the label. The trouble starts when colour or shine is added to hide age, poor grade or damage, or when the thing used was never meant for food. You can’t see the difference between a permitted colour and an industrial one, however long you stare at the tray, but you can see when colour rubs off onto a tissue, when a shine leaves grease on your fingers, or when a whole heap of fruit looks identical in a way that nature, with its bruises and pale patches and odd little pieces, never quite manages.

This article covers only the dye, sulphite and polish side. Stale and rancid nuts are a separate problem with their own smell tests, and they aren’t repeated here.

Bright orange khubani: sulphur dioxide explained

Dried apricots turn brown naturally. To keep them that glowing orange, producers expose them to sulphur dioxide (listed as a sulphite, preservative or E220) before drying. It’s legal in permitted amounts. Unsulphured khubani is brown, a little tougher and tastes more like caramel.

The catch? Asthma. Sulphites can set off wheezing, flushing or hives in people with asthma or sulphite sensitivity, occasionally badly. If that’s you, choose brown, unsulphured apricots and read labels for “sulphite” or “sulphur dioxide”. For taste and nutrition between the two, see orange vs brown khubani.

Sulphur isn’t a dye, but a very bright orange khubani sold loose from an open sack with no label at all tells you nothing about how much was used or when, and no amount of looking, smelling or rinsing at home will change that. That’s the honest limit.

Shiny kishmish: oil, mineral oil and sugar glaze

Raisins stick together in a solid lump if nobody stops them, especially in humid weather, so a small amount of vegetable oil is often sprayed on to keep them loose, and it gives that gloss. Normal. Golden kishmish is also usually sulphured to keep its colour, the same as orange khubani.

The cheats are mineral oil (a petroleum oil, not a food fat) used because it’s cheap and makes old raisins shine like new, and a heavy sugar syrup coat that adds weight and hides dull fruit. You can’t tell which oil is which by looking. Don’t taste to find out. Wash it off.

1. Put a handful (about 30 g) of kishmish in a bowl.
2. Cover with about 250 ml warm water, around 40 °C, not hot.
3. Stir and leave 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Look at the water. A few oily specks and a light tint are normal. A greasy film that sits thick on top, or strongly coloured water, is a reason to switch shop.
5. Drain, rinse once under the tap, and pat dry before eating or cooking.

This rinse removes surface oil, dust and loose colour. It proves only that something was on the surface, not what it was. Varieties and colours are compared in golden vs black vs green kishmish.

Green-dyed pista and red shells

Pistachio kernels are naturally mixed: bright green, yellow-green and olive, often with a purple-brown skin. That mix is a good sign. Two tricks:

• Red shells. Shells were dyed red decades ago, back when nuts were picked by hand and left lying about long enough for the shells to blotch and stain, and the red simply hid those marks from buyers who judged by looks. Some markets still sell them. The dye is on the shell, but it comes off on fingers and lips.
• Over-green kernels. Low-grade or broken kernels are sometimes coloured to look like premium “Afghani” or “Iranian” green. Every kernel the same bright green, with no purple skin anywhere, is suspicious.

For salted vs raw and storage, see the pista guide.

How to check dry fruits quality at the shop

1. Read the label or ask for it. Look for “sulphite”, “preservative”, “colour” and “glazed”. A good seller knows.
2. Look at colour spread. Natural batches vary. Uniform neon anything is a flag.
3. Touch. Light gloss is fine. Greasy fingers or sticky syrup is not.
4. Smell. Clean, fruity, nutty. A sharp, sulphury smell means heavy sulphite; paint-like or musty means walk on.
5. Rub a sample on a damp tissue, if the shop allows it.
6. Buy in season. Fresh crop kishmish, khubani and pista arrive through autumn and early winter in Pakistan and North India; fresh stock needs less “help” to look good.

Food dye side effects: what’s known

Permitted food colours, used within limits, are considered safe for most people, and the colour on a sweet or a jelly isn’t something to lose sleep over. A few children seem more restless or irritable after artificial colours, and some people react with hives. Non-food dyes are the real worry, because nobody has checked them for eating at all. That’s why colour on dry fruit that has no reason to be coloured deserves suspicion. No panic needed. You’re paying for fruit, not paint, and it’s fair to expect exactly that from a shop that charges mewa prices in the first place. Our Fruits & Vegetables guides go further into choosing fresh and dried produce.

Myth: dark or dull dry fruit is always bad

Often it’s the opposite, and the most honest-looking tray in a mewa shop is rarely the prettiest one. Brown khubani, dull black kishmish and pista with purple skins are usually the least processed. People believe the myth because bright and shiny looks fresh on a shelf, and sellers know it. Dull and clean-smelling beats bright and greasy.

Did you know?

• Pistachio shells split open naturally as the nut ripens on the tree.
• Golden and black kishmish can come from the same grape; the golden ones are usually sulphured and dried out of direct sun.
• Apricots were grown in ancient China and Central Asia long before they reached Europe.

Dyed dry fruits: common questions

More buying guides live in Desi Remedies.