Chapaneemak — known across Afghanistan and Central Asia as rolled apricots — is one of the most beloved traditional Afghan snacks. Whole apricots are pitted, flattened by hand and sun-dried into dense, chewy strips with a concentrated tangy-sweet flavour you will not find in a mainstream Canadian grocery store.

What Chapaneemak is

No added sugar. No preservatives. No sulphur. Just apricots, sun and time — dried using methods passed down through generations of Afghan farming families. Because it is fully dried, it needs no refrigeration and travels well.

The pieces are firm and chewy rather than soft, with a bright sour-sweet finish. Most people eat them straight from the bag; they also work chopped into oatmeal, stewed into savoury Afghan dishes, or served alongside tea and nuts.

Why people buy it

For Afghan, Pakistani and Central Asian families across Canada it is deeply nostalgic — the taste of home, and hard to find here. For everyone else it is a genuine discovery: an unfamiliar dried fruit with far more character than the sulphured orange apricots on supermarket shelves.

Frequently asked questions

What does Chapaneemak taste like?
Intensely apricot — tangy first, then sweet. Much more concentrated than ordinary dried apricots because nothing is added and nothing is diluted.

Is there added sugar or sulphur?
Neither. The colour comes from the fruit itself, not from sulphur treatment, which is why it is deeper and less uniform than supermarket apricots.

How should I store it?
Keep it sealed in a cool, dry cupboard away from strong-smelling foods. No refrigeration needed. Once opened, an airtight container keeps it at its best.

How much should I order?
500g is roughly a large snack bag and the right size to try it. 1kg suits a household that already knows it. The 3kg and 5kg sizes are bulk — they arrive as a sizeable box, so choose them only if you want that quantity.

Where does it come from?
Sourced directly from Afghanistan.

Shipped Canada-wide from our Ontario warehouse, with next-day delivery across the GTA.

Rolled Apricots (Chapaneemak) — Traditional Afghan Sun-Dried Apricots