Raisin

When raisins are called for in cooking and baking, it is generally the dark variety—a dried seedless grape, for the most part Thompson Seedless—that is being referred to. However, golden raisins, also called sultanas and dried currants, are also used frequently in food preparations. The word raisin comes from the Latin word rasemus, which refers to “a cluster of berries.” Most types of raisins originated in the Middle Eastern region of the Meditteranean. Today, the San Joaquin Valley in California produces nearly 50 percent of the world’s raisin crop.