SPECULATIVE SCIENCE



What's the difference between a raisin and a sultana? Wendy Mcilroy, Antrim, N.Ireland A raisin comes from red grapes, a sultana from white. Kaylene Murdoch, Christchurch, New Zealand $1.50 a kilogram. Gerry Singleton, Fremantle, Western Australia A sultana is a seedless raisin. Bob, Newport, Wales Current thinking has it that the sultana is bigger than the raisin. M Robinson, Rainham A raisin is any dried grape. A sultana is a specific variety of (pale yellow seedless) grape and also the raisin of this grape. Mike Goodson, Cambridge A raisin is a dried grape. A sultana is the wife of a sultan. Jim Dixon, St. Paul, Minnesota USA A raisin and a sultana are produced from the same grape - Thompson seedless The only difference is the way they are dried. A raisin is dried naturally, but a sultana is dipped in veg oil and acid and then dried. Roger Thomason, Nottingham, UK Who really cares ????? Adam, Runcorn, UK Raisins are hard and over shriveled, sultanas are far juicier. Kirky, Sheffield, UK I had always assumed that the raisin sultana divide was down to the colour of the grape, one from red, one from white. However I recently bought both sultanas and raisins and the pictures on both packets were of whight grapes. Sorry to bring currants into this but it seems that they are the result of drying red grapes. If supermarket own brand packaging is to be believed that is. Sarah, Leeds UK Sultana - British english, Raisin - American English Surtana - Japanese ebglish, Visitor, RAISIN.Noun(1)(a) the dried grape. History C13: From old French :grape, ultimately from the Latin "racemus" cluster of grapes. SULTANA. Noun 1, a dried fruit of a small white seedless grape,originally produced in SW Asia: used in cakes, curries etc.;seedless raisin. (b) the grape itself.(2)Also called:SULTANESS. a wife,concubine, or female relative to the SULTAN.(3) a mistress;concubine. HISTORY C16: from Italian, feminine of sultano SULTAN. CURRANT Noun (1) a small dried seedless grape of the Mediteranean region, used in cooking. (2) any of several mainly N temperate shrubs of the genus RIBES, esp R.rubun (redcurrant) and RR.nigrum (blackcurrant): family GROSSULRIACEAE.(also Gooseberry variant).(3) the small acid fruit of any of these plants. HISTORY C16: shortened from RAYSON OF CORANNTE raisin of Corinth. Mark Giles, Plymouth UK It's easy to tell the difference - just use the nostril test: how many can you get up one nostril? Currants are smallest, raisins larger and sultanas largest of all. So, if you only manage a few, they are sultanas, lots and it's currants. Somewhere in between and you've got raisins. (This does not apply for Australian Lexia Raisins of course but these are horrid anyway). Simon, Sheffield England That's pretty clear Mark. Ray Sin, Manchester, Lancashire what about currants? Amy Dabinett, Wigton, UK To Adam of Runcorn; you obviously do care, so what is the difference? Nick, Tunbridge Wells Kent, UK I researched this because of an argument between my daughters and myself. I was born in Britain in 1939 and I distinctly remember the currant as being the smallest, the sultana next, and then the raisin (with seeds). Now I live in the States and the sultanas are called raisins. One can find the currants and large raisins in a health store. Now I'm visiting Britain and my kids say the rasins are smaller than the sultanas. So today I go to a supermarket and, lo and behold, the only difference between the sultana and the rasin is the color. Now I see that some other people on these internet sites state that the raisin is smaller than the rasin. How did this change come about? They even say that currants are dried currants. I always thought the differences were in the type of grape. Vasudha Donnelly, Gardiner, United States Sultanas are shifty and not to be trusted like a lamb's leg in a badger's nest, raisins are a man's fruit, stern and honest like a cheese magnum. Stuart, Bristol I strongly believe that the difference is the seeds. It's raisin if seeded and Sultana if seedless. Currant is the red grapes. Ertugrul Yartasi, Ankara, Turkey I would like to settle this argument once and for all! A raisin is a dried white grape, predominantly of the Muscatel variety. A sultana is a small raisin, they are seedless and sweet, and come mainly from Turkey. A current is a dried red grape, originally from Greece. Melissa Clark, Oxford, UK Some say size. Some say color. Some say seeds, but they are all bugs without legs. Stuart Moore, Tacoma, USA Confused so Googled and copied from it in: Product description Sultanas belong to the grapevine family (Vitaceae) and are native to the Caspian Sea. Currants, sultanas and raisins, including those still on the bunch, are known collectively as "raisins. The difference between these three dried fruits is explained below: Sultanas: seedless, large-berried and light yellow. Larger than currants and smaller than raisins. Currants: seedless, small-berried, purple/black color. Their name derives from the Greek city of Corinth. Raisins on the bunch: seeded, large-berried, generally with stalk. To produce: the grapes are grown on the sultana grapevine. The grapes are harvested when overripe. They are then either air-dried or increasingly dried in special drying plants. Most sultanas are bleached, sulfured after drying and mechanically destalked in order to extend their storage life and prevent subsequent discolouration. Such treatment must be indicated appropriately on the packaging. Treatment with vegetable oils is intended to prevent the sultanas from sticking together. Due to their very high sugar content, sultanas are very sweet and similar in flavour to honey. Jenny Overton, Coffs Harbour, Australia We had a debate after clubbing last Sunday and it seems raisins are from red grapes and sultanas are from white grapes. I think it's a class thing about which ones you prefer. Jonathan, Reading, UK In a CURRENT situation, who cares! bob Harder, Bournemouth I was of the opinion that raisins were from red grapes and sultanas were from white, but I am a bit unsure now. However what I am sure of is that currants are not made from red grapes, currants are a fruit in their own right, as far as I am aware there are black currants and red currants and these are both dried to produce funnily enough dried red and black currants. Chris Cleveland, Paihia, New Zealand The correct answer is as stated already by Melissa Clark, Oxford, UK. The following is Courtesy of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Raisins are dried white grapes usually of the variety 'Muscatel'. The main producers are the USA, Turkey, Greece and Australia. Sultanas are small raisins. They are seedless, sweet, pale golden in colour and come mainly from Turkey. Currants are dried, black, seedless grapes originally produced in Greece. They were known as 'raisins of the sun'. Andy Rowe, Holmes Chapel Who really cares. We love sultanas. They are so much more juicy James and Chris, Truro Cornwall I have been wondering what the answer is for not very long. It all started when I was food shopping and came across some boxes of dried fruits. In the first, sultanas and apples. The second, raisins and apples, the third, sultanas and apricots, the forth, raisins and apricots and finally raisins and sultanas. It suddenly occurred to me that I had no idea what the difference was. This site has given me lots of ideas but has unfortunately confused my further. I am STILL searching the vast internet for a reliable answer.... Caroline Grint, England Stuart from Bristol needs a well padded room in a secure unit. I believe Broadmoor has a few rooms available! Keith, Bedfont, UK Are we talking about currant affairs? Callum, Bristol United Kingdom Yes, but only if they are raisinably recent currant affairs. Grace, Sultanabimby Australia Sultanas smaller than raisins? Has anyone actually looked at a sultana beside a raisin? Huge! Stan, Stevenage Egypt Firstly..I've read all off these answers and I still dunno the real answer....secondly....why have to people answered "who cares"....possibly you? And if you don't, how the he'll did you you find this forum....thirdly...I was OK with currants being bought up....but gooseberry..well....that's just stepping over the line....fourthly....respect the raisin family. Shane, Melbourne Australia Chris from New Zealand is right about what a current is. It is a tiny berry (current) that is dried. raisins ( in the USA anyway ) is a dried grape. It can be from a white, yellow or red grape. The size varies, depending on the variety of grape used. From what I am finding, is in Europe, the define a red grape as 'raisin' and if from a white grape as 'sultanas'. They all taste great. Sharon Shetley , Modesto USA Now I am confused.......with this current situation. :- 0 beth, England If all 3 are either seeded or seedless how come I just "crunched" my way through a piece of fruit cake ! Does anyone else hate those pips with a passion like me ? Clive, Chelmsford England A raisin is a dried grape. Sultana is a popular rock band from San Francisco which came to prominence in the early 1970s and is noted for its Latin-tinged rhythms and the guitar work of its founder, Carlos Sultana. Dave Heaven, Twickenham UK after reading the various and amusing answers to the 'sultana, raisin' debate I am as confused as ever, but it certainly brightened up 20 mins of my sad sedentary life, thanks folks. jenni, winkleigh great britain I've found that it's fairly rare to hear anyone call them raisins here(Brisbane), people mostly use sultana as a blanket term. It seems to be the reverse in the USA, where many people call them all raisins. But in my experience, when I buy sultanas they are usually paler(from white grapes) and raisins are always dark(red grapes). However, earlier today I baught a bag of each and BOTH were dark, but the raisins were larger and slightly darker, both were seedless...It seems like the names vary a lot in their usage, sometimes used to describe the type of grape, other times the size. Even the producers, or at least the people responsible for packaging seem to be pretty inconsistant. Because of all this it's hard to know exactly what you're buying, when the lable is often wrong. But it seems that the CORRECT distinction is as others have already stated, the variety of grape. I always thought currants were the dried berries of currant trees/bushes and that there were a whole bunch of species from different genera of fruiting plants all commonly called currants. But people here are also saying the word is used for certain types of dried grape on top of being the common name for a large range of different berries... Tommo, Brisbane Australia It sultan-ly seems that with all the helpful suggestions the bar has been raisin d - glass of red or white wine ....anyone??? J. Pemberton, Nova Scotia Canada A current is not a raisin, it is not grown on a vine, like a grape. It is a shrub, the berry comes in black and red Marg Biernat, Cambridge, Canada Raisin = I'm seeing your hand but raisin the bet Keith Harper, Melbourne, Australia I am reading a book about Scotland and went online to see what a sultana is. This has truly been a hilarious adventure in the land of currants, raisins & sultanas. Thank you, one & all. Carol Hart, Florence, Oregon United States Well I do care, when a recipe calls for a cup of raisins and I can only buy sultanas. Is this really going to make much difference? Peter Watson, Bacchus Marsh Australia What I love about this whole debate is that British people actually care about the language. This attitude is sadly lacking in the good ol' U S of A, where people skewer and butcher it on a daily basis. So sorry :( And yes, I love Sultanas, Raisins, Currants - the whole lot. Charlie Rafferty, Taos, New Mexico, USA Becoming a sultana is every dried fruit's currant raisin d'etre. Kit Crotchly, Mile End, UK What ever way both raisins and sultanas are yummy!! Hayden Hills, Auckland New Zealand Interesting answers. but why are they called what that are called? Gary, Portsmouth Hampshire The difference is about 20p Linda, Paisley Scotland Currant research is inconclusive as to the difference between sultanas and raisins. Jonny Palmer, Ipswich UK What are Sultanas? The short answer, at least in this country(UK), is that sultana raisins are golden raisins and you can find them everywhere. But we seldom go for the short answer, do we? There appears to be a good deal of imprecision in the raisin arena. There are three common names for raisins in the English-speaking world  sultanas, currants, and raisins. Of course, sultanas and currants are raisins  that is, dried grapes  and among purists the word raisin is supposed to be used for any raisin that is not a sultana or a currant. But that doesn't always happen. Currants are tiny raisins from the zante grape, and are supposed to have been first grown on the island of Corinth in Greece. Generally, currants are more tart than other raisins. Sultana raisins were originally the product of the Sultana grape, which grew in Turkey. But in this country, 95% of the grapes used for raisin production are the Thompson Seedless variety, which dry and darken in the sunlight, producing the common raisin. The same variety of grape, however, treated with sulphur dioxide and heated artificially stays lighter, moister, and plumper, and these are what are sold here as golden raisins or sultanas. Theoretically, sultanas are sweeter and less acid than other raisins. Douglas Thorburn, Johnstone, Scotland Stuart from Bristol - you're brilliant! I laughed so much tears rolled down my legs. Glynis, Copa Australia I am currently flipping through Nigella Lawson's "How to be a Domestic Goddess". I saw the ingredient Sultana and had no clue what it was. Little did I know the search to find out what it is would be so confusing or amusing! Stacey, Saskatoon Canada In Aus whereI lived half my life we used sultanas raisins and currants in granny's fruit cake recipe. Sultanas were much bigger than raisins and lighter and juicier. Now in USA there appears to be little difference and now we know they are the same grape but one is tortured with sulphur dioxide and no one else seems to give a darn! As for me I would prefer to find some of those old style juicy sultanas. Thanks for the laughs from around the globe! Roslyn, Phx. AZ USA Raisins are dried red grapes, sultanas are dried white or green grapes, and currants are dried currants Shona, Normanby New Zealand Who gives a shit when dozens of kids die daily due to hunger! kangwa, lusaka zambia What wonderful answers. Why shouldn't one care: you can always care about world peace as well. I thought the only difference was that Sultanas came from California and Raisins from Turkey because that is where most of the ones that I have been able to buy have been from and that is the crux of it: what you can buy where you are. Some other places, it seems, this place of manufacture is reversed. Wikipedia is fairly good on the definitions but until now I thought that currants were dried currants. I am however worried by the use of potassium carbonate and sulfur dioxide SO I shall be using Raisins in future. I put them in my special bread pudding and my very special Apple Pie (Breaburns apples!). However LIDL's says their sultanas come from Turkey (in fench only) and are just grapes!! PS mixed nuts and raisins are the best thing when you are feeling seasick: don't know why everything else makes one actually sick. Peter M Le Mare, St Just, Penzance Cornwall, Great Britain Some additional info for SULTANAS. SULTANAS are small, light yellow color grapes. The Turkish name for SULTANAS is SULTANIYE and they grow Aegean region of Turkey. They are best when fresh, and are so sweet that feels like burning your throat when you are eating them. The best time for them is in the month of August. Ali C. Gencalp, Fort Worth, Texas USA I buy 30mt per week, as good as some of these answers are, and respect to those who have done ill advised research on the Internet. The difference is the way they are dried. A raisin is dried naturally, but a sultana is dipped and then dried. Pedro , Wymondham Uk I wanted to know this because our English neighbor (cute, little old English lady, tiny but full of chili -sauce) gave me a recipe for tomato chutney ,and when I asked if I could use raisins (I'm here in UK with Hubby who is U.S. Air Force Officer)she smacked my hand with a wooden spoon and said, "Yer've gotta use Sultanas and none of those foreign toe-mah-toes neither, good ENGLISH toe-mah toes if you please". I feel I'd better do EXACTLY as she says, the little tyrant! We've unofficially adopted her and she is (what we like to think of as) our "peppery" English "NAN"! I'm not going to tell her I'm buying golden raisins from the U.S. Commisary Ha-Ha! Thanks for all the interesting , humorous answers - You British people ROCK! China, Boston ,Ma U.S grapes they come from the clima Greek word for the tree the small tree which produce the the grapes and produce the stafida .. the raisin ' which we say in Greek'is the same family but different types ...is like olive tree which we produce the olive and we do have many types of olives''so the right answer like black and white person ...produce mulatto//the clima the tree produce grapes. and raisin// c///raisin....stafida.. and stafily is the grape.....u don't call them the same ...stafily is grape ..and stafida..is the raisin///i hope i made my self clear...... christos karas, toronto canada Sultanas are dipped in what exactly? Dot, Hendersonville, NC USA Raisins and Sultanas both come from the same grape. Raisins are naturally dried over a longer period of time and hence the dark colour. Sultanas are dipped in a solution which breaks down the skin, causing it to dry faster and retain some of its light colour. Golden Sultanas are bleached with Sulphur to give its golden colour. A, As a 4th generation dried grape grower. Sultanas are made from the variety Sultana (aka Thompson Seedless), dried with the aid of drying emulsion (a mix of vegetable oil & potash). Raisins are made from the varieties Muscat Gordo Blanco or Waltham Cross, without drying emulsion. They are generally larger than sultanas and may or may not have the seeds removed. Both are from white varieties. Sultana dried without emulsion are called Naturals or TSR's in the US. Several improved Sultana types have been introduced recently which are also marketed as Sultana, such as Sun Muscat. On the other hand Currants are made from the red varieties Zante or Carina and are smaller than sultana. They are seedless, and shouldn't be confused with blackcurrants or redcurrants which are not grapes at all. Lex Williams, Barmera Sunraysia I love this board! Visiting our son in Dublin Ireland and came across sultanas in baked goods. Apparently sultanas are favored over raisins 3:1. We are going to start a "save the raisin" campaign on the american west coast. The goal is to save jobs in California and buy locally grown American produce without horse meat in it. Gail, Portland Oregon USA I need to know desperately! Why? I've been told "Raisins soaked in Gin" are good for arthritis, and I only have sultanas??? Will let you know the result, if I can crawl across the floor to my iPad. By the way, this is real, honest! Joyce, Newcastle England It sounds to me like you are all talking about Golden Raisins, which is what we sensibly call them here in America. I have never even seen the word sultana until today. I am reading a cookbook which also features rashers and capsicum. Why can't you just say bacon and peppers? lol Penny, Sherwood, Ohio USA Well, love all of the answers but I am going to share my bit of info now. I grew up in the San Joaquin valley in CA. Every year we would be involved in drying Thomsan Seedless grapes to make raisens for SunMaid. We would cut the grapes, lay them on brown paper and after a couple of weeks go and turn them. This would go on until they were a dark colour. I hadn't heard of Sultanas until I moved over here to England to live with my British hubby. I am inclined to believe it is the drying technique which gives the difference between sultanas and raisens, it makes the most sense. I know dried apricots are different over here as well due to the drying techniques. In California we halve the apricots and dry them after dipping them in a solution of lemon/water and then smoking some sulphur dioxide around them to keep them from turning black and keep the bugs off. It is so interesting to discover the different techniques and tastes that come from these as you travel to different areas. Hope this is useful to some of you looking into the difference. I am all for saving the raisins as I don't like the plumpness of the sultanas. Haha! Mj, Exeter USA Very interesting read. Having grown up in a region of Australia that grows huge amounts of grapes, I feel the need to voice my opinion. The Sultana is actually a variety of grape. A raisin is the result of drying any grape. The confusion comes as the Sultana is the best variety for the drying procedure as it is small, sweet and seedless, so most raisins are referred to as sultanas. And for the international confusion, the Sultana grape variety is also known as Thompson Seedless in America, Lady de Coverly in England and the oval-fruited Kishmish in Turkey. Getting on to the currents, currents are a different fruit to grapes. Its a bit like wine, fermented grape juice is referred to as a wine, However a Reisling wine is from the reisling variety of grapes, a chardonnay is from the chardonnay grape variety, hope this clarifies the situation a little. Craig, Mildura Australia Oh I love you all, best quips for ever...beats the rubbish spewed in our parliament. Anyone want to be our new PM, we'd love to laugh insted of cry! brenda, gold coast australia Sultana is from the white grape, and is the largest of sultanas, raisins, and currants, with currants being the smallest. Santana, on the other hand, is a band from the late '60s named after the great guitarist (and the founder of the band), Carols Santana. The best way to enjoy a sultana is to eat it while listening to Santana. Laura Smith, West Newton, US Grew up on the family vineyards where we specialized in dried fruits. The current was the smallest and blackest and came from small red berries, they were the first picked in the picking season. Next was the sultana. Later in life it got the fancy name of Thompson Seedless and it was a white grape. Depending on the crownage. 1 - dark berries to 6 light, a beautiful golden colour, never sold in Australia BUT shipped to England for sale, the only way we could get 6 crown light was to recall some of what we grew and put into the Packing sheds, the next was the Raisin, there were two types, The Gordo and the Waltham, both were big grapes and full of seeds, there were considered a white grape, but more often the gordo was green and the waltham, yellow to tan. The currant was dried naturally, the sultana dipped and the the gordo was hot dipped, a mongrel of a job, two dip tins in either hand dipping them into a hot solution of potashe and dipping oils, usually on a 40degree celeius day, really opened the pores and cleaned your skin up. Amazingly you never see Ads for dried currants, sultanas or raisins in Australia & the only film I've seen where they were made a repeat part in the film (3 times) was Pork Chop Hill with Gregory Peck (1957) when he was handing them around to his fellow soldiers. Gary Pearse, Mildura, Victoria Australia Further to last, A lovely sweet (dessert if you're in OZ) Boil your rice, in the last few minutes throw in a handful of dried sultanas, serve with cream, for those with a sweet tooth, sprinkle some sugar over your serve to your taste, Marvelous. Storing dried sultanas, stick them in the deep freeze, ready to mix and eat, just pull them out and serve because the sultana retains its sugar in syrup form, it doesn't harden up like an ice cube. Peanuts and sultanas mix great for starters and drinks. Curries can also benefit from a handful of sultanas. Sultana scones, sultana cakes and sultana damper hot from the camp oven. Just great. The turkish sultanas is dark and gritty, it's imported into OZ and mixed with the Australian fruit to make it palettable. You will notice that the packers have removed the crownage symbol from the packaging, so mow you can't tell if you're getting 1 or 3 crown fruit. The higher the number the lighter and better the fruit. gap, Mildura, Victoria Australia I believe the right answer comes from the producers of raisin vs sultana. As for me, raisin comes from Organic Goodies that my son likes and sultana comes from my wife's yummy fruit cakes I like. Gary, Dublin, Ireland Totally confused now. The sales girl in the shop didn't know the difference between sultanas and raisins. The pack says produce of Turkey. Is this from the Turkey's anus? Hope not, I'm vegetarian. The pack also says vegetable oil. What is all this about being dipped in acid, too? Surely these sultanas are not safe to eat. Should I call in the health and safety police. Need a quick response because my porridge is waiting for the sultanas. Barry, Thirsk England It seems to differ, as to where you're from. Reading the first few replies, I was amazed that they were saying sultanas are bigger than raisins. Here in Aus, Raisins are much bigger (and darker) than sultanas. Currants are tiny and almost black. David Betts, Bonbeach, Australia



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