Dried grapes: useful properties, harm, calories and features

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Dried grapes or raisins are a popular dried fruit not only in our country, but also abroad. The product has incredible value. This is explained by the fact that after the grapes are dried, their useful qualities will increase several times. The sweetness is enriched with vitamins, macro- and microelements, as well as amino acids. If you welcome a he althy lifestyle, then raisins should be included in your diet without fail. For the first time, such a dish is mentioned in ancient Egyptian texts that date back to 2000 BC. Raisins were brought to Europe by Phoenician merchants somewhere in the 10th-9th centuries BC. But there are theories according to which even cavemen, noticing dried grapes on the vines, began to eat them. And the ancient Israelites used raisins to pay their debts and taxes, thus paying attention to the value of this dried fruit.

Trip "grapes - raisins"

Dried grapes can be obtainedin several ways. So, you can dry the berries naturally, that is, in the sun. And this procedure is called oftobi. To get raisins, ripe bunches are laid out on the ground on special mats or hung between vines for two weeks. Often, in order for the process to go a little faster, the fruits are dipped for a few seconds in a hot soda solution. As a result of blanching, the protective glossy coating is removed and the skin is damaged. Thus, in just four to five days, all moisture has time to evaporate from the product. Raisins “cooked” in the sun are a little harsh, and therefore soyagi, or shade drying, is considered a more gentle and natural method. This process is laborious and time consuming, and because of this, such dried berries are expensive and not very common.

After shadow or sun drying in private farms, dried grapes are considered ready, and they are sent for sale to the markets. If you think that the same dried fruits are sold in supermarkets in multi-colored bags, then you are deeply mistaken. For such raisins, a different fate is prepared: shriveled berries, after preliminary, not so long, processing, enter the factory. There they are washed, freed from stalks and debris, sorted, additionally dried in ovens, and only after that they are packed. The fruits can also be treated with sulfur dioxide, sulfites or sorbic acid, which makes dried grapes more beautiful and prolongs their shelf life.

Calorie andcomposition of raisins

Dried grapes are very high in calories. So, in one hundred grams of raisins, there are from 250 to 300 kilocalories. As mentioned above, dried grapes are a storehouse of valuable substances. They contain sugar in the amount of 79.5-87.5%, ash (2-2.9%) and nitrogenous substances, which contain 2.1-2.9%. Also, dried fruits have a small amount of acids, fiber and a sufficient rate of moisture.

In addition, it is important to consider that berries contain a huge amount of dietary fiber, he althy carbohydrates and proteins. They contain organic acids and fats in small amounts.

In raisins there are vitamins such as A, B1 and B2, B5 and B6, C and PP. It also contains boron, iron, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium.

Useful features

Dried grapes are extremely beneficial for the human body. Raisins help fight high cholesterol levels. Since it contains a lot of boron, it is considered an excellent tool for the prevention of ailments of the nervous system. Boron, and, accordingly, dried grapes, strengthens memory and improves coordination. The potassium contained in the dried fruit prevents heart rhythm disturbances. This element helps to remove excess sodium in the urine.

Raisin guarantees optimal bone mineralization, as well as its increased strength. The high percentage of fiber in dried grapes promotes regular bowel movement, which frees the intestines of toxins. This is excellentbowel cancer prevention. The unique feature of raisins can be considered that, despite the fact that it is enriched with sugar, the fiber contained in the product helps to strengthen the gums, promotes mechanical cleansing of tooth enamel, and bactericidal combinations fight the reproduction of microorganisms.

Bad qualities

People with overweight, enterocolitis, heart failure, diabetes mellitus and active tuberculosis are not recommended to use dried fruits. Also, the harm to the product is associated with the features of its manufacture. For example, raisins, and especially dried grapes with white berries, are often treated with sulfur dioxide during production, which, if consumed, can cause asthma or provoke allergic reactions.

Many companies, in order to improve the taste properties of the product, add sugar to it during drying. In this regard, the calorie content and glycemic index of dried berries increase.

Varieties of raisins

Experts distinguish between several types of raisins:

• Regular is the most common variety and is a medium-sized dried white grape with one seed.
• Sabza (kishmish) is a light, small dried fruit made from seedless white grapes.
• Large stone fruit - the length of the raisin reaches 2.5 centimeters. Each berry has two or three large seeds.
• Cinnamon is a very dark, slightly dry, pitted raisin.

Dry grapes at home

You can even make dried grapes at home. Harvesting for the winter does not require much effort. So, first you need to carefully sort out the ripe bunches, removing unripe and damaged fruits from them. Then the berries must be thoroughly washed, put in a colander and blanched for two to three seconds in a special solution at a temperature of 95-97 degrees. It should be a solution of baking soda, for the preparation of which five to eight grams of soda should be dissolved in a liter of water. After blanching, immediately rinse the product under running water or immerse it in cold water.

Then the grapes are sent to the oven, where they will be dried at a temperature of 65-75 degrees. Dried raisins are aired, kept in a box for two or three days, and then laid out in jars and hermetically sealed.

Raisins in cooking

The name of dried grapes is known even to a child. It is, of course, raisins. And he found his widest application in cooking. Add it to baked goods, puddings, salads and cakes. It is used for stuffing meat, making kvass and compotes. In Central Asia, this product is held in high esteem. Here it is an indispensable ingredient for pilaf, meat salad turli etter and lobio. Raisins are also mixed with other types of dried fruits and used instead of sweets and chocolate.