| In centuries past, ancient man noticed that grapes | | | | to John the Baptist to abstain from eating raisins, the |
| hanging on vines lasted for months, and even though | | | | edict is implicit in acknowledging that John the Baptist |
| seedy, the fruit was sweet to the taste. These grapes | | | | was a Nazirite, which was referred to by Jesus in |
| dried out in the sun and were called raisins. The raisins | | | | Matthew 11:18 and Luke 5:33. |
| could be stored for months to be eaten at a later time, | | | | King David was given "one hundred raisin cakes and |
| centuries before advanced civilizations learned how to | | | | 200 fig cakes." 1 Samuel 25:18, after having nothing to |
| preserve foods artificially by canning and freezing. | | | | eat or drink for three days and nights. David was given |
| Other fruit items such as palm tree dates, figs, apricot, | | | | "part of a fig cake, two clusters of raisins, and some |
| prune-plum, pear, and peach could be preserved by | | | | water" 1 Samuel 30:12. After leaving Jerusalem, King |
| sun drying. Today, many additional products can be | | | | David's donkeys were loaded with one hundred |
| preserved by vacuum drying, such as strawberry, | | | | clusters of raisins, one hundred bunches of grapes, and |
| blueberry, and a host of tropical fruits, such as | | | | a small barrel of wine. At the feast for King David, |
| pineapple, guava, and many other fruits and berries. | | | | donkeys brought vast supplies of "fig cakes, raisins, |
| After many people age, a craving for dried fruit, | | | | wine" etc for the celebration. 1 Chronicles 12:40 |
| grapes, and berries intensifies because of the high | | | | Historically, it is recorded that the Greeks were |
| sugar content (sweetness), and the concentrated | | | | growing grapes (currants) in Corinth, and the culture of |
| flavor. | | | | grapes and raisins flourished with the rise of the |
| Basically, all ancient raisins were grown as two types: | | | | Roman Empire followed by the Medieval Age of the |
| the regular sized grapes were dried, large in size with | | | | Catholic church and the Crusades that renewed and |
| large seed, and the raisins that came from Corinth, | | | | redistributed the trade of grapes and raisins. Raisins |
| Greece were called currants (the word is a corruption | | | | were used as a reserve food on the ships of |
| of the word Corinth). The currants were very small but | | | | Christopher Columbus, the Nina, the Pinta, and the |
| grew into huge grape clusters on the grapevine, and | | | | Santa Maria, in 1492. Spanish Missions later grew |
| were extremely sweet with an aromatic, intense | | | | grapes and produced raisins in the New World, most |
| flavor. Currants became an international, valuable | | | | importantly in California, and were the most important |
| success, and were sought after, even being grown to | | | | commercial farmers to plant and grow grapevines for |
| be used in trading matters like currency. The word, | | | | raisin production. |
| currency, derived from the word currants. | | | | Perhaps the most important improvement in raisin |
| The mystery remains today about which chemicals in | | | | marketing came from the vineyard of William |
| grapes, other than sugar, that are responsible for | | | | Thompson, who renamed the grape he imported as |
| preserving grapes in the form of raisins or in bottling | | | | the white "Thompson Seedless" grape, that was, and |
| the liquid aromatic wine, that improves in flavor after | | | | is, the most significant cultivar in modern grape |
| being aged for many years. There is a special grape | | | | marketing, and customer demand for a seedless raisin. |
| from Hungary called Tokay (Tokaji) that is left on the | | | | Many other new seedless grapes have been recently |
| vine to ripen into raisins. The raisins are pickled and | | | | hybridized as candidates for seedless raisin to plant |
| fermented into the famous Tokay wine, that must be | | | | and grow. The pleasure of eating sweet, aromatic |
| aged for many years as an aromatic wine known for | | | | raisins is reduced, if the person is required to spit out |
| its unique and intense flavor. The Tokay wine was | | | | hard, bitter tasting seed, therefore, seedless raisins |
| named as the wine of Tsars, Kings, and Presidents . | | | | dominate the market and the fresh grape fruit market. |
| Catherine the Great, Tsarina of Russia, stationed | | | | Recent advances in applications of plant growth |
| Cossack soldiers to guard her treasured cache of | | | | hormones assure the total seedless condition of |
| Tokay raisin wine. Queen Victoria of England received | | | | grapes and raisins, because the seed inside the |
| 972 bottles of Tokay wine on her birthday. King Louis | | | | embryonic grape are completely aborted by spraying |
| XIV of France pronounced Tokay wine as "the wine | | | | the flowers of the grapes with gibberillic acid (gibberillin) |
| of Kings, the King of wines." Gourmets agree that | | | | and the grapes grow into very sweet, big and juicy, |
| Tokay wine should be assigned to a special named | | | | and evolve into excellent raisins. |
| category, since the extra step of aging came from the | | | | New grape varieties that are useful for raisins are: |
| aging of the grape to the raisin, and is bypassed in | | | | Black Beauty seedless grape, the only black seedless |
| normal wine producing. | | | | grape with a taste like concord grapes. |
| It is difficult to trace the absolute first appearance of | | | | Flame seedless grape, the second most popular |
| raisin culture in ancient history, but it is known that | | | | seedless grape, compared to Thompson's seedless, |
| raisins were written about in the ancient Scriptures of | | | | deep red in color, round with a pleasant crunch and a |
| the Hebrew Bible. Raisins were actually written about | | | | sweet-tart taste balance. |
| in the Bible as a forbidden fruit, that was prohibited | | | | Tokay seedless grape, also called Tokay flame |
| from the diets of a religious cult called the Nazirites. | | | | seedless, sweeter version of Flame seedless, |
| Members of the cult were Nazirites, such as Aaron, | | | | orange-red with a crisp texture. |
| brother of Moses, and all his priestly descendants; | | | | Perlette seedless grape, the frosty-white bloom is atop |
| Samson, the Judge; John the Baptist of the New | | | | a crisp green skin, the hardiest seedless grape that |
| Testament, and members of another religious cult, the | | | | ripens earlier than other varieties. |
| Rechabites. Numbers 6:14 reads that the Nazirites | | | | Ruby Seedless grape, deep red skin, juicy and oval |
| were forbidden to taste fresh wine, "grape juice or | | | | shaped. |
| raisins." These Nazirites were not allowed to eat | | | | Thompson's seedless grape, white, crisp, juicy and |
| anything from the grapevine, even forbidding the eating | | | | sweet. |
| of grape skins and grape seeds, and were not even | | | | Other seedless grapes are Autumn Royal seedless |
| permitted to grow grape vines or to own vineyards. | | | | grape, Canadice Seedless grape, Concord seedless |
| Judges 13:13 prohibited the mother of Samson from | | | | grape, Crimson seedless grape, Princess seedless |
| allowing her son to eat "raisins or drink any wine." | | | | grape, and Summer Royal seedless grape. |
| Even though the Scriptures make no direct prohibition | | | | |