Where Raisins Come From

Raisins are dried grapes. They are produced in many regions of the world. Raisins may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada the word "raisin" is reserved for the dried large dark grape, with "sultana" being a dried large white grape, and "currant" being a dried small Black Corinth grape.

The word raisin dates back to Middle English and is a loanword from Old French; in French, raisin means "grape", while a dried grape is referred to as a raisin sec, or "dry grape". The Old French word in turn developed from the Latin word racemus, "a bunch of grapes".

Raisin Production By Country
Rank	Country	Metric Tons	% Of World
1	United States	300,000	26.02%
2	Turkey	270,000	23.42%
3	China	175,000	15.18%
4	Iran	155,000	13.44%
5	Chile	80,000	6.94%
6	South Africa	40,000	3.47%
7	Argentina	35,000	3.04%
8	Uzbekistan	35,000	3.04%
9	Afghanistan	34,000	2.95%
10	Australia	10,000	0.87%
World		1,153,000

 

**Source: FAO. Prepared By; Rob Cook