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Sultanas Information and Recipes
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Origin and History
In 1872, British born William Thompson who emigrated to the US, introduced seedless grape cuttings to California. Today, Thompson Seedless is the most widely used grape variety for making sultanas.
Cultivation and Processing
Grapes for the production of dried fruit are restricted to regions with a long, hot growing season in order for the grapes to remain on the vine until fully matured in order to achieve the high sugar content needed for satisfactory drying. The Sultana grape contains 18-20 per cent fruit sugar which ensures the fruit remains plump and succulent after the evaporation of its water content. Also, because of their high sugar content, they don't need preservatives to keep them fresh.
Traditionally grown in the Mediterranean area and some middle eastern countries, Australia, South Africa and California are now also major producers.
The grapes are harvested when overripe. They are then dried. Drying methods today vary. Traditionally, fruit were sun-dried however, nowadays they are often mechanically dehydrated. In general, the darker fruit are sun-dried for several weeks, producing a darker colour and more shriveled appearance, whereas the lighter fruit are treated with sulphur dioxide just to keep their golden colour and artificially dried to avoid the darkening effect of the sunlight. This process also extends their storage life and prevent subsequent discolouring.
Sultanas in Cooking
When using, try soaking them for 20 minutes or more in warm liquid such as wine, port, rum or stock (depending on the recipe) for a softer fruit with added flavour.
Below are just a few sweet and savoury recipes using Sultanas but there are many more on the site. Use the search form to find them all.
Happy Cooking!
Main Courses Calves Liver with Port HT MC 25mins Cod Au Gratin HT MC English 45mins Spicy Pilau with Smoked Tofu Veg HT MC 45mins Stuffed Cuttlefish HT MC Italian 50mins Tofu Stuffed Peppers Veg HT MC 55mins Chicken with Mandarins HT MC 60mins Mediterranean Swordfish HT MC Italian 60mins Spiced Lamb with Potatoes HT MC Moroccan 90mins Goose with Apple HT MC British 200mins plus marinating
Accompaniments Apricot Couscous Veg HT ACC Moroccan 20mins Oriental Dipping Sauce Veg CD ACC 20mins plus cooling Sultana and Onion Braise Veg HT ACC 25mins Cauliflower Braise Veg HT ACC 30mins Indian Rice Veg HT Indian 45mins Stuffed Onions Veg HT ACC 75mins
Desserts, Cakes, Baked Fayre Chocolate Praline Bars Veg CD CBF 10mins plus chilling Sultana Scones Veg CD CBF English 25mins Rhubarb Biscuits Veg CD CBF English 50mins Ricotta Flan Veg HT CD DP Italian 50mins Sultana and Apple Clafoutis Veg HT DP French 60mins Bread and Butter Pudding Veg HT DP English 80mins Iced Apple Pie Veg HT CD DP 100mins Irish Barm Brack Veg CD CBF British 190mins
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Often
referred to as Sultana or White Raisins, the sultana differs from the
raisin in two ways. Firstly and most apparent, it is much lighter in
colour, although the colour ranges from very light to brown, but more
importantly, it undergoes a different drying process, more about
which you can read below.
The
process of drying fruit in the sun is accredited to the Persians with early
written references to drying black grapes for raisins dating back to over 2,000
years ago. It is believed that the Sultana Grape originated in Anatolia in
Turkey, was taken to Greece and from there, sent all over the world.
