Raisins are dried grape berries and the word raisin is, in fact, the French word for grape. Raisins are produced commercially, by drying harvested grape berries, and are generally sweet, due to their high concentration of sugars.
Raisins are produced in many of the world’s warm, dry regions. Raisin types depend on the type of grape used to make the raisins and therefore there are a wide variety of colours and sizes, which include black, brown, purple and yellow.
There are three broad categories of raisins: The best-known group are the large, sweet, dark brown or purple raisins. The second group are the large, sweet, golden coloured raisins, which are also known as sultanas.
The third group are the small, tart flavoured black raisins from the black Corinth seedless grapes, which are also known as currants.
The biggest raisin production region in South Africa is along the Orange River in the Northern Cape and this region produces around 90% of t...