Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Saturday, November 6, 2010

RAISINS - Brain Food! Food for the Brain!


Raisins hd nvr been my fav food to munch. One fine day i decided to savour my wattery mouth with a couple of raisins. It melts in my mouth like how an ice cream melts in my mouth! i rmbr someone told me that raisins are regarded as brain food.. Why? Pachemu? Bue-yo? (nah... my 3 languages...)



According to Wikipedia, raisins are actually dried grapes! aiyerrrr... how can a bunch of scrumptious grapes be that of those tiny winy raisins? It can be eaten raw, baked, cooked or to brew wine~ Lets look into the history in the making.. cehhh.. :p

There were varieties of raisins. Two common types la as those sold at the grocery shops, or supermarket; yellow n black..




It all depends on the type of grapes used.
Seedless varieties include the Sultana (also known as "Thompson Seedless" in the USA) and Flame. Raisins are typically sun-dried, but may also be "water-dipped," or dehydrated. "Golden raisins" are made from Sultanas, treated with Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), and flame-dried to give them their characteristic color. A particular variety of seedless grape, the Black Corinth, is also sun-dried to produce Zante currants, miniature raisins that are much darker in color and have a tart, tangy flavour. Several varieties of raisins are produced in Asia and, in the West, are only available at ethnic specialty grocers. Green raisins are produced in Iran. Raisins have a variety of colors (green, black, blue, purple, yellow) and sizes.






Raisins, like the other fruits contains sugar. Di mana ada semot, di sana ada gulak..
Sorry for my ploha BM..
Raisins range from about 67% to 72% sugars by weight, most of which is fructose. Raisins, like prunes and apricots, are also high in certain antioxidants. As with all dried fruits, raisins have a very low vitamin C content.




When u actually observe closely on a piece of raisin, you might actually relate it to a gemstone due to its crystalline properties it potrays. A crystal which can be eaten lo... yum yum..Raisins are sweet due to their high concentration of sugars. The sugar inside the fruit crystallizes if they are stored for a long period. This makes the dry raisins gritty, but does not affect their usability. The sugar grains dissolve when the raisins are swelled in (hot) water. Like cooking payasam with raisins.. it swells into tiny little grapes. It absorbs the surrounding liquid very quickly via osmosis.. adui.. bio again.. hahaha... osmosis is the the process of movement of water molecules according to the concentration gradient.. water molecules oni ah... H20...