Raisin
Raisins are dried
grapes. Raisins can be eaten raw or used in cooking and
baking. Raisins are very sweet due to the high concentration of their sugars, and if they are stored for a long period the sugar
crystallises inside the fruit. This makes the fruit gritty, but does not affect their usability. To decrystalise raisins, they can be soaked in liquid (
alcohol, fruit juice, or boiling water) for a short period, dissolving the sugar.
In the
United States, the term
raisin refers to any form of dried grape.
California raisins – both the sun-dried dark naturals and the goldens – are made by drying
Thompson Seedless grapes; dark naturals are sun dried, while goldens are treated with
sulphur then flame dried. Another variety of seedless grape, the
Black Corinth, is also sun dried to produce
Zante currants, mini raisins that are much darker in colour and have a tart, tangy flavour. In
Australia and other countries specific varieties are given separate names. In particular, in Australia raisins are largest,
sultanas are intermediate, while
currants are smallest. Alternately, sultanas are assumed to come from white or green grapes while raisins are believed to be produced from the red counterparts.
Raisins are also produced in
Greece, especially in the areas of
Peloponessus,
Crete and smaller islands. The main variety used in the Greek raisin is the sultana. The grapes are mostly sun-dried thus producing seedless raisins of average size and golden color. A notable exception to this rule is the grape variety cultivated especially for the purpose of raisin production in
Corinthia that give darker and smaller type of raisin named Corinthian. Corinthian raisins are not seedless.
The
Victorian parlour game called
Snap-dragon involved raisins being plucked from a bowl of burning
brandy.
The word
raisin dates back to
Middle English and is a
loanword from
Old French; in Old French and
French,
raisin means "grape", while a raisin in French is called a
raisin sec, a "dry grape". The Old French word in turn developed from
Latin racemus, "a bunch of grapes". The origin of the Latin word is unclear.
Raisins consist for about 60% by weight of
sugars, of which about half is
fructose and half is
glucose. Raisins are also high in
antioxidants, and are comparable to
prunes and
apricots.
Dentists and
dental hygienists have long recommended not eating raisins as it was believed that the combinations of sugars and stickiness in them would promote
tooth decay and
gum disease. However, research indicates that the stickiness of a food is not an indicator of its effects on oral health. Additionally, raisins have been found to contain several chemical compounds that may assist in fighting oral
bacteria. In a laboratory, extracts from raisins were found to slow the growth of
Streptococcus mutans, the main bacteria behind tooth decay. Five chemicals in raisins —
oleanolic acid,
oleanolic aldehyde,
betulin,
betulinic acid, and 5-(
hydroxymethyl)-2-
furfural — seem to be responsible for slowing the bacteria. In addition, oleanic acid prevents
S. mutans from sticking to
tooth enamel. (Wu,
et al., 2005)
*
Abstract*
Blackcurrant*
Currant*
Redcurrant*
Sultana*
Natural Benefits and Curative Properties*
The World's Healthiest Foods: Raisins*
A close-up photo of a raisin
