See also:

• RAISIN (Fr. raisin, grape; Lat. racemes)

RAISIN (Fr. raisin, See also:

• GRAPE

grape; See also:

• LAT

Lat. racemes)  , the name given to the dried fruits of certain varieties of the See also:

• GRAPE

grape See also:

• VINE

vine, Vitis vinifera, which grow principally in the warm See also:

• CLIMATE

climate of the Mediterranean coasts and are comparatively See also:

• RICH, BARNABE (c. 1540-1617)
• RICH, CLAUDIUS JAMES (1787-1821)
• RICH, JOHN (1692-1761)
• RICH, PENELOPE, LADY (c. 1562–1607)
• RICH, RICHARD, 1ST BARON RICH (1490?-1567)

rich in See also:

• SUGAR

sugar . The use of dried grapes or raisins as See also:

• FOOD
• FOOD (like the verb " to feed," from a Teutonic root, whence O. Eng. foda; cf. " fodder "; connected with Gr. lrareicOae, to feed)

food is of See also:

• GREAT

great antiquity (Num. vi . 3; I Sam. See also:

• XXV

xxv . 18, See also:

• XXX

xxx . 12) . In See also:

• MEDIEVAL

medieval times raisins imported from See also:

• SPAIN
• SPAIN (Espana)

Spain were a prized luxury in See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England, and to the See also:

• PRESENT

present See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day Great See also:

• BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain continues to be the best customer of the See also:

• RAISIN (Fr. raisin, grape; Lat. racemes)

raisin-producing regions . " Raisins of the See also:

• SUN
• SUN (0. Eng. sonne, Ger. sonne. Fr. soleil, Lat. sol, Gr. ijXior, from which comes helio- in various English compounds)

sun " are obtained by letting the See also:

• FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit continue on the vines after it has come to maturity, where there is sufficient See also:

• SUNSHINE

sunshine and See also:

• HEAT (0. E. haktu, which like " hot," Old Eng. hat, is from the Teutonic type haita, hit, to be hot; cf. Ger. hitze, heiss; Dutch, hitte, heet, &c.)

heat in the autumn, till the clusters dry on the See also:

• STOCKS

stocks . Another See also:

• PLAN
• PLAN (from Lat. planes, flat)

plan is partially to sever the stalk before the grapes are quite ripe, thus stopping the flow of the See also:

• SAP

sap, and in that See also:

• CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition to leave them on the vines till they are sufficiently dry . The more usual See also:

• PROCESS

process, however, is to cut off the fully ripe clusters and expose them, spread out, for several days to the rays of the sun, taking care that they are not injured by See also:

• RAIN (O.E. regn; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Regen, Swed. and Dan. regn; it has been connected with Lat. rigare, to wet, Gr. 13pixeav)

rain . In unfavourable See also:

• WEATHER (O. Eng. weder; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Du. weder, Dan. veir, Icel. ve8r, and Ger. Wetter and Gewitter, storm; the root is wa- to blow, from which is derived " wind ")

weather they may be dried in a heated chamber, but are then inferior in quality . In some parts of Spain and See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France it is See also:

• COMMON

common to See also:

• DIP (Old Eng. dyppan, connected with the common Teutonic root seen in " deep ")

dip the gathered clusters in boiling See also:

• WATER

water, or in a strong potash See also:

• LYE (0. Eng. leag, cf. Dutch loog, Ger. Lauge, from the root meaning to wash, see in Lat. lavare, and Eng. " lather," froth of soap and water, and " laundry ")

lye, a practice which softens the skin, favours drying and gives the raisins a clear glossy See also:

• APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

appearance . Again, in See also:

• ASIA

Asia See also:

• MINOR
• MINOR (Lat. for smaller, lesser)
• MINOR, ROBERT CRANNELL (1839-1904)

Minor the fruit is dipped into hot water on the See also:

• SURFACE

surface of which swims a layer of See also:

• OLIVE (Olea europaea)

olive oil, which communicates a See also:

• BRIGHT, JOHN (1811-188g)
• BRIGHT, SIR CHARLES TILSTON

bright lustre and softness to the skin .

Some See also:

• SUPERIOR

superior varieties are treated with very great care, retained on their stalks, and sent into the See also:

• MARKET (Lat. mercatus, trade or place of trade)

market as clusters for table use; but the greater See also:

• PART

part are separated from the stalks in the process of drying and the stalks winnowed out of the fruit . Raisins come from numerous Mediterranean localities, and present at least three distinct varieties—(I) See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary or large raisins, (2) sultana seedless raisins, and (3) currants or Corinthian raisins (see See also:

• CURRANT

CURRANT) . The greater proportion of the common large raisins of See also:

• ENGLISH

English See also:

• COMMERCE
• COMMERCE (Lat. commercium, from, cum, together, and rnerx, merchandise)

commerce comes from the provinces of See also:

• MALAGA

Malaga, See also:

• VALENCIA
• VALENCIA, or VALENTIA

Valencia and See also:

• ALICANTE

Alicante in Spain; these are known by the common name of Malaga raisins . Those of the finest quality, called Malaga clusters, are prepared from a variety of muscatel grape, and preserved on the stalks for table use . This variety, as well as Malaga layers, so called from the manner of packing, are exclusively used as dessert fruit . Raisins of a somewhat inferior quality, known as " lexias," from the same provinces, are used for cooking and See also:

• BAKING

baking purposes . See also:

• SMYRNA (Ismir)

Smyrna raisins also come to some extent into the English market . The best quality, known as Eleme, is a large fruit, having a reddish-yellow skin with a sweet pleasant flavour . Large-seeded dark-coloured raisins are produced in some of the islands of the See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek See also:

• ARCHIPELAGO

archipelago and in See also:

• CRETE (Gr. Kp;rrrr; Turk. Kirid, Ital. Candia)

Crete, but they are little seen in the See also:

• BRITISH

British markets . In See also:

• ITALY
• ITALY (Italia)

Italy the finest raisins are produced in See also:

• CALABRIA

Calabria, inferior qualities in central Italy and in See also:

• SICILY (Ital. Sicilia)

Sicily . From the Lipari Islands a certain quantity of cluster raisins of See also:

• GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good quality is sent to England . In the See also:

• SOUTH
• SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

south of France raisins of high excellence—See also:

• PROVENCE (Provincia, Proenza)

Provence raisins in clusters—are obtained at Roquevaire, Lunel and Frontignan .

Sultana seedless raisins are the produce of a small variety of yellow grape, cultivated exclusively in the neighbourhood of Smyrna . The vines are grown on a See also:

• SOIL

soil of decomposed hippurite See also:

• LIMESTONE

limestone, on sloping ground rising to a height of 400 ft. above the See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea, and all attempts to cultivate sultanas in other raisin-growing localities have failed, the grapes quickly reverting to a See also:

• SEED (from the root seen in Lat. serere, to sow)

seed-bearing See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character . The dried fruit has a See also:

• FINE

fine See also:

• GOLDEN

golden-yellow See also:

• COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour, with a thin, delicate, translucent skin and a sweet aromatic flavour . A very fine seedless oblong raisin of the sultana type with a brownish skins-is cultivated in the neighbourhood of o See also:

• DAMASCUS

Damascus .