The Complete Guide to Dry Fruits: Grades, Origins, Storage and What to Actually Buy

Most dry fruit in India is sold by adjective: special, export quality, king size. None of these words mean anything. The trade itself uses real, measurable grades, and once you know them, a packet either states a grade or it does not. That single fact tells you most of what you need to know about who packed it.

What do dry fruit grades actually mean?

A dry fruit grade is a measurement, not a compliment. Walnut kernels are graded by the share of whole halves, almonds and pistachios by nuts per ounce, cashews by kernels per pound, and makhana by the diameter of the popped kernel. A pack that names its grade can be checked at home.

The rest of this guide takes each one in turn: what the number means, where the good harvests come from, how long each keeps, how to tell fresh from old, and how much to eat.

What does 36+ mean for walnuts?

36+ means at least 36% of the walnut kernels in a lot are whole halves rather than quarters and fragments. That matters because cut surface is where walnut oil meets air, and a broken-up lot goes bitter faster than a whole-half lot stored the same way.

Walnuts are about 65% fat, most of it polyunsaturated, the most oxidation-prone fat in the nut aisle (USDA FDC 170187). The bitterness people associate with walnuts is rancidity. A fresh walnut is sweet, buttery and faintly milky.

The kernel standard reproduced in NIFTEM's walnut handbook sorts kernels by style (halves, quarters, pieces) and colour class, and caps moisture at 5% (NIFTEM).

Where from: Chile and California give large, light, low-tannin kernels. Kashmiri walnuts are excellent but usually sold in-shell.

Our version: Akhroat Giri 200gm, Chilean kernels, 36+. More in Why Chilean Walnuts.

How are almonds graded?

Almonds are graded by count per ounce: how many nuts it takes to make 28 g. Fewer nuts means each one is bigger. Counts such as 18/20 and 20/22 are the large grades that "bold" refers to, 23/25 and 25/27 are mid-sized, and 27/30 and above are small.

Size is a proxy for how long the nut had on the tree. A bold almond holds its oil inside; a small, thin one has proportionally more surface, dries out faster and tastes flat.

Per 100 g, almonds give about 579 kcal, 21.2 g protein, 12.5 g fibre and 25.6 mg vitamin E (USDA FDC 170567). Grade changes size and taste, not those numbers.

Where from: California dominates on consistent grading and moisture control. Loose almonds of unstated origin are usually blends of several harvests.

Our version: American Almond Bold 250gm. See also Benefits of Soaked Almonds.

What do cashew grades like W160 and W320 mean?

In a cashew grade, W stands for White Whole and the number is kernels per pound, so a lower number means a bigger nut. W160 is 140–160 kernels per pound, about 31–35 in 100 g. W320, the standard supermarket grade, is 300–320 per pound, about 66–70 in 100 g.

The NC 1:2018 cashew kernel standard lists W180 to W500 by kernels per kg and allows at most 5% broken or next-grade kernels in a lot (NC 1:2018). LWP, SWP and BB are pieces and baby bits, fine for cooking.

Where from: Mangalore and the Konkan coast for Indian cashews, which are sweeter and less starchy; Vietnam and Ghana dominate volume.

Our version: Cashew Jumbo 250gm, W160. Full detail in Cashew Grades Explained.

How should you choose pistachios, figs and raisins?

Choose pistachios with naturally split shells, a sign the nut grew large enough to open the shell on the tree. Choose dried figs that are pliable, not rock-hard, and raisins that are still slightly translucent rather than opaque and leathery. A white bloom on a fig is crystallised sugar; fuzzy, coloured growth is mould.

Pistachios are graded by count per ounce and by how they opened. Californian pistachios are large and consistent; Iranian ones are more intense. Per 100 g, dry-roasted unsalted pistachios give about 572 kcal and 21.0 g protein (USDA FDC 170185). Our Jumbo Salted Pista 250gm is salted, so its sodium is higher.

Figs are graded by diameter and count per kilogram, and extra bold is the largest tier. Afghan figs are small, light and intensely sweet: our Anjeer Extra Bold 250gm.

Raisins. Angoori kishmish is the small, seedless type. Golden raisins carry about 80 g carbohydrate per 100 g (USDA FDC 168164): Angoori Kishmish 500gm.

How is makhana graded?

Makhana is graded by the diameter of the popped kernel, expressed in the trade in suta, and extra bold is the largest pop. Size decides how it roasts: a large, fully popped seed crisps all the way through, while a small or partly popped one stays chewy in the centre however long it stays in the pan.

The NIFTEM makhana handbook's grade table puts Grade 1 at fully expanded pops of 15 mm or more and creamy white, and Grade 3 at flattened, irregular pops. It also estimates that Bihar grows more than 80% of India's makhana, mainly in districts such as Darbhanga, Madhubani, Purnea and Katihar (NIFTEM).

Per 100 g, popped makhana gives about 358 kcal, 8.7 g protein and 0.5 g fat, which is why it suits a dry roast before any ghee goes in.

Our version: Makhana Extra Bold 200gm, 6+ suta from Bihar. More in Makhana, Properly.

How can you tell fresh dry fruit from old?

Smell it first: fresh nuts smell faintly sweet or of almost nothing, and rancid ones smell like old paint, crayon or putty. Then taste the finish rather than the first bite, check the colour, and look for figs or raisins that have hardened at the edges. Grades tell you what was packed, not when.

A rancid nut looks exactly like a fresh one.

1. Smell it. The only reliable single test. Once you have identified the rancid smell, you will not miss it again.
2. Taste the finish. Oxidation shows up as a bitter or metallic aftertaste a second or two after you swallow.
3. Check the colour. Walnut kernels should be light tan; cashews ivory-white; almond skins an even reddish-brown, not grey.
4. Check for the shrivel. Figs and raisins hard at the edges and soft inside have been through heat cycles in storage.

The most useful question to ask a seller is "when was this packed?" Most cannot answer.

How should you store dry fruits, and for how long?

Store dry fruits airtight, in a dark cupboard, away from the stove; light drives oxidation almost as fast as heat. Refrigerate walnuts and pistachios, but never figs, raisins or makhana, which pick up condensation. Sealed walnuts keep about 2 months at room temperature and 6 refrigerated.

Once a pack is open, halve every number.

The four things that destroy dry fruit, in order of speed, are heat, light, oxygen and humidity. Makhana needs dryness, not cold: sealed with a silica sachet it stays crisp for months, and five minutes in a dry pan brings a soft batch back.

How much dry fruit should you eat a day?

A 30 g handful of mixed nuts a day is a sensible portion, and the one this Journal uses. ICMR-NIN's Dietary Guidelines for Indians advise a variety of nuts and oilseeds for daily fats but do not set a gram figure, so we do not give one. Per 30 g, most nuts land between 166 and 196 kcal.

Values are USDA per-100 g figures multiplied by 0.3. Dry fruit is calorie-dense, and the second handful arrives without a decision being made. Dried fruit such as figs and raisins is concentrated sugar. ICMR-NIN also asks adults to keep sugar below 5% of daily energy (Guideline 1) (ICMR-NIN). Nuts are food, not medicine.

What should a dry fruit packet tell you?

A truthful pack states five things: a trade grade (36+, W160, bold, extra bold), a named origin, a packing date, an FSSAI licence number you can check, and batch-level testing for pesticide residue, aflatoxin and microbial load. A pack that states none of these is asking you to trust an adjective.

1. A trade grade. Not a superlative.
2. A named origin. Chile, California, Mangalore, Bihar, Afghanistan, Narmadapuram. Not "imported".
3. A packing date, not only a best-before. Best-before is a calculation; packing date is a fact.
4. An FSSAI licence number. Any licence can be looked up on FSSAI FoSCoS; ours is 11423110000436.
5. Batch-level testing. Aflatoxin is a real contamination risk in badly stored nuts and figs, and it is not visible.

That is the standard we hold ourselves to, and it is the reason NutriBlend exists. Every pack carries its grade and its origin, and every batch is tested and sealed the day it is packed. See the full collection →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between dry fruits and nuts? Nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios) are seeds eaten as they are. Dried fruits (figs, raisins, dates) are whole fruits with the water removed. In Indian usage "dry fruits" covers both.

Are roasted or raw dry fruits better? Raw keeps slightly more heat-sensitive nutrients. Dry-roasting at home for a few minutes beats buying pre-roasted, oiled nuts, where you know neither the oil nor the date.

Is it worth buying dry fruits in bulk? Only if you can store them properly and finish them inside the shelf-life table above. A kilo of walnuts in a warm cupboard is a kilo of rancid walnuts by month three.

Can I eat dry fruits at night? Yes. The advice to eat them in the morning is about habit, not about any risk at night. Soaked almonds or a fig before bed is a reasonable habit.

Sources

• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy entries 170567 (almonds), 170162 (cashews), 170187 (walnuts), 170185 (pistachios), 168164 (golden raisins). fdc.nal.usda.gov
• ICMR-NIN, Dietary Guidelines for Indians booklet, Guidelines 1 and 7. nin.res.in
• NIFTEM (PMFME), Foxnut (Makhana) handbook, Tables 1.1 and 7. niftem.ac.in
• NIFTEM (PMFME), Handbook of Walnut Processing. niftem.ac.in
• Northern Corridor standard NC 1:2018, Cashew kernels: Specification. members.wto.org
• FSSAI FoSCoS licence search. foscos.fssai.gov.in