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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... | |
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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
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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..
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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..
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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..
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