17 May: Raisins

The third week in May is Raisin Week. Some things you might not know about raisins.

1. The word raisin is the French word for a Grape. The French word for a raisin is raisin sec (dried grape). Ultimately, the word came from the Latin word for a bunch of grapes, racemus.
2. In ancient Rome, two jars of raisins could buy you a slave.
3. They might also be prescribed in Rome as a cure for ageing or Mushroom poisoning.
4. Half the world's supply of raisins is grown in California, USA. The raisin industry there started by accident, when a freak hot spell in 1873 withered the grapes on the vine. Someone came up with the idea of marketing the shrivelled grapes as delicacies, and it took off from there.
5. To get a ton of raisins, you need 4 tons of grapes.
6. Raisins come in several different colours and sizes, depending on the grapes they are made from. Currants and sultanas are types of raisin. Currants are made from small, seedless grapes. Sultanas, the golden coloured raisins, are treated with sulphur dioxide.
7. Never feed raisins (or grapes for that matter) to Dogs. For some reason scientists have never worked out, it causes kidney failure.
8. There are health benefits for humans from them, in spite of the facts they can contain 72% sugar. Studies have found that eating them three times a day can lower blood pressure, and in spite of the sugar content, they can help fight bacteria in the mouth and stave off cavities and gum disease.
9. Raisins that have been kept for a while may be gritty due to some of the sugar crystallising inside them. This doesn't mean they can't be eaten, however. If you don't like the grittiness, simply blanch the raisins in hot water and this will dissolve the sugar.
10. The cheapest and easiest way to produce raisins is to dry grapes in the sun. However, it can take a long time and there's a risk they might get contaminated, so most commercially produced raisins are dried mechanically.

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