Holiday Raisin Bread with Candied Peels

For centuries and centuries in places as diverse as the Middle East, India, China, Egypt, and ancient Greece, people coated fruits with honey to preserve them. Candied peels, known as frutti confetti, were considered a condiment and dessert; they served as the final course of many a meal, as well as official presents for royalty and the pope in the Middle Ages. Confectioners were considered artists just like sculptors, painters, and goldsmiths. Candied citrus peels were an integral p