Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Raisins, Currants and Sultanas

Know your raisins:) I am going to look for Sultanas for my next batch of Oatmeal cookies!

Raisins, Currants and Sultanas: "If one is to talk about grapes, then the conversation should at least cover those of the dried varieties. Dried grapes have most likely been around for thousands of years, as finding a one on the vine was quite likely. They were also quite popular in ancient Greece and Rome and even in Southern Spain. It was the crusades that brought the dried treats to Northern Europe where they became the staple that we associate them with today. It was the Spaniards who brought the processing of drying grapes to what it now present day California, through their vinyards that came with the missions that dotted the area in the 18th century. As histories go, it's not all that exciting, and it certainly doesn't compare with, say, the history of Salt or wine. But a story is a story, right? We Americans tend to think of raisins as any dried grape, which ia kinda-sorta correct. There are dried grapes which stand outside of the 'raisin' nomenclature, specifically currants and sultanas. But even these names can be misleading in their own pecul"

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