The plum came to Europe from China via the Silk Road and became native to the entire Mediterranean region under the influence of the Greeks and Romans. Depending on the region, drying plums with solar power or in ovens is widely used. Prunes have a high nutritional value, keep for a long time and are ideal for stocking up.
In Gaul, ie in the first Roman province of Narbonne, which at that time extended to what is now Quercy, just outside the Agen region, the Romans planted several varieties of plums, including the "Saint Antonin" plum, also known as "Maurine". , a small blue plum, undoubtedly one of the oldest and most widespread varieties, producing very dark, small fruits.
"Rich in energy and fibre, minerals and vitamins and easy to store, Agen prunes underwent considerable development from the 17th to the late 19th century. The 'Pruneaux d'Agen' have always been part of the provisions of sailing ships at the time of the royal fleet and later on the steamships of the merchant seafaring.Part of the provisions for long sea voyages, the "Pruneau d'Agen” goes on a world voyage across seas and oceans to all continents. Sailors appreciate it for its taste and its nutritional qualities In combination with a flan mass of eggs, milk and sugar, the sailors invent the famous recipe of "Far Breton aux pruneaux".
In the 12th century, Benedictine monks from Clairac Abbey in the Lot Valley (between Agen and Villeneuve), upon the return of their third crusade, had the idea of crossing local plum trees with new plum seedlings from Damascus, brought from Syria. And with that they had created a new type of plum called "Prune d'Ente". Thanks to its river port on the Garonne, Agen has become the shipping capital of Pruneaux. Because these prunes were labeled with the name of their original port of shipment, they became known as "Pruneaux d'Agen".
