Apricots are a close relative of plums and peaches with their taste often described as a hybrid of the two. The general belief is that apricot cultivation originated in China, but opposing theories also provide evidence that cultivation may have begun in India. Either way, ancient Armenia is where real mass scale apricot cultivation thrived. From there it was introduced into Europe via the traveling armies of the Roman Empire, eventually making its way to the Americas by Spanish colonization. The Californian climate was found to be ideal for growing apricots and now produces most of the apricots in the USA.