History
Leaving fruits out to dry in the sun and air is one of the
oldest methods of preserving food-whether it's turning
grapes into raisins, or fresh figs, dates, apricots, and
plums into their dried counterparts. Raisins and dried
fruits are simple, wholesome foods, grown by nature and
"made" by men and women basically the same way for thousands
of years — long before artificial, frozen, canned, or
processed foods.
People have enjoyed raisins since the earliest days of
civilization. The early Phoenicians and Egyptians were
responsible for expanding the popularity of raisins
throughout the western world. Due to their long-term
storability and ease of transport, raisins traveled with
Christopher Columbus, tickled George Washington's palate at
Mount Vernon, helped fuel Robert E. Peary's conquest of the
North Pole in 1908, and accompanied astronaut Scott
Carpenter in outer space in 1962
more...
It's probably safe to say that raisins were discovered by man
the first time he found them accidentally dried out on the vine.
But it took several hundreds of years before he determined which
of the 8,000 varieties of grape genus would produce the best
raisins.
Historians tell us the ancient Phoenicians and Armenians took
the first steps in perfecting viticulture, the process of grape
growing and
more...
Augustus and Hannibal loved raisins
The Phoenicians and Armenians then began to trade raisins with the Greeks and the Romans. Tasty dried muscats, sultanas and currants became very popular and in great demand with the Greeks and Romans who ate them in large quantities. As the popularity of the raisins grew, so did their value. Can you believe that in ancient Rome you could trade two jars of raisins for one slave boy? more...
For all their popularity, though, raisins were not exported to
the rest of Europe. Shipping methods were too poor to maintain
the quality of the raisins for long travel.
All of that changed in the 11th century. Knights returning from
the crusades brought raisins back to Europe with them. They had
sampled the dried fruit during their travels through the
Mediterranean and Persia.
When the knights went home and began to crave raisins, a huge
demand was created. Fortunately, packing and shipping techniques
had improved enough for raisins to be
more...
Grape growing flourished in the climate of the new world areas
of Mexico and what is now California. Missionaries sponsored by
Queen Isabella of Spain were sent to Mexico to educate the
natives about religion. By the 18th century these influential
and powerful padres had established 21 missions as far north as
what is now Sacramento (California).
The padres used the majority of their grapes to make sacramental
wines, though they also
more...
Some useful information about raisin
