Description:
Grapes are fruits of a vine which grows in bunches on a stalk. They can be eaten raw or used for making jam, grape juice, jelly, wine and grape seed oil. The combination of crunchy texture and dry, sweet, tart flavor has made grapes an ever popular between meal snack as well as a refreshing addition to both fruit and vegetable salads.
How to select:
The skin may be green, yellow or purple and they enclose a sweet but acid pulp with or without seeds.
Description:
Grapes are fruits of a vine which grows in bunches on a stalk. They can be eaten raw or used for making jam, grape juice, jelly, wine and grape seed oil. The combination of crunchy texture and dry, sweet, tart flavour has made grapes an ever popular between meal snack as well as a refreshing addition to both fruit and vegetable salads.
How to select:
The skin may be green, yellow or purple and they enclose a sweet but acid pulp with or without seeds.
Use:
Both white and black varieties are used to make wine. There are also varieties cultivated as dessert grapes, which are served as fresh fruit or used in cooking. Grapes are used in patisserie and other forms of cookery. They are used in tarts and flans, fruit salads and rice dishes.
How to store:
Keep, unwashed, in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Certain varieties of grapes are dried to produce raisins, sultanas and currants.
Sultanas
Sultanas are made from green grapes that are dried in the sun. These grapes are picked when they are fully ripe, because that is when their sugar content is highest.
They can be used dried or by soaking them in water for 30 minutes for rehydrating them.
Sultanas are added to enrich dishes like curries, biryanis, raitas, chutneys and desserts like kheer. They are an important ingredient in the making of fruitcake.
Raisins
Raisins are dark brown or black in colour and are made from sun-dried black grapes. Black raisins are specially valued in India for their medicinal properties. They are considered one of nature's best laxatives and are also common home remedies for many ailments. They are added to curries, raitas, biryanis and scores of traditional sweets like kheer.
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