Raisins, sultanas or currants? Dried grapes hide behind the terms. Here you can find out what connects the designations and where the differences lie.

Raisins and sultanas are from the same grape variety – differences in drying

Sultanas and raisins have one important thing in common: both are made from the Sultana grape, so they’re the same grape. The difference between the designations is due to the different drying methods.

Raisins are dried in the sun for about five to seven days. This is how they get their typical dark color.
Sultanas owe their uniqueness and their light color to an important drying step: if the grapes are first dipped, they lose the wax layer on the outer skin. This makes the fruit permeable to water, so the drying time is only three to five days.
Currants are also dried grapes and therefore a type of raisin. However, they are obtained from the Greek grape variety Korinthiaki. They are also characterized by their dark color and are usually smaller than sultanas.

Treatment with sulfur makes fruit keep longer

To make the fruit last longer, raisins and sultanas are treated with sulfur dioxide during production. This is at the expense of various vitamins: explains that this primarily destroys vitamin B1 and folic acid.

The chemical treatment of the fruit can also have health consequences for humans, such as headaches or stomach problems. In this case, it is therefore advisable to use higher-quality or organic products, because sulfurization is not used here. Incidentally, currants are always treated without sulfur dioxide.

Conclusion: The varieties of raisins and sultanas differ in the drying process, but come from the same grape variety. Currants come from the Korinthiaki grape variety, but are also dried grapes. In order to make the fruits last longer, they are often sulphurized, which is why organic goods should be used.