Fruit Ingredients and Recipes

Raisins are dried grapes. Raisins can be eaten raw or used in cooking and baking. Raisins are very sweet due to the high concentration of their sugars, and if they are stored for a long period the sugar crystallises inside the fruit. This makes the fruit gritty, but does not affect their usability. To decrystalise raisins, they can be soaked in liquid (alcohol, fruit juice, or boiling water) for a short period, dissolving the sugar. In the United States, the term raisin refers to any form of dried grape. California raisins – both the sun-dried dark naturals and the goldens – are made by drying Thompson Seedless grapes; dark naturals are sun dried, while goldens are treated with sulphur then flame dried. Another variety of seedless grape, the Black Corinth, is also sun dried to produce Zante currants, mini raisins that are much darker in colour and have a tart, tangy flavour. In Australia and other countries specific varieties are given separate names. In particular, in Australia raisins are largest, sultanas are intermediate, while currants are smallest. Alternately, sultanas are assumed to come from white or green grapes while raisins are believed to be produced from the red counterparts. Raisins are also produced in Greece, especially in the areas of Peloponessus, Crete and smaller islands. The main variety used in the Greek raisin is the sultana. The grapes are mostly sun-dried thus producing seedless raisins of average size and golden color. A notable exception to this rule is the grape variety cultivated especially for the purpose of raisin production in Corinthia that give darker and smaller type of raisin named Corinthian. Corinthian raisins are not seedless. The Victorian parlour game called Snap-dragon involved raisins being plucked from a bowl of burning brandy.

The mango (Mangifera spp.; plural mangos or mangoes) is a genus of about 35 species of tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. No one knows the exact origins of the mango but most believe that it is native to the Southern and Southeast Asian continent including Eastern India, Burma, and Bangladesh after fossil records were found there dating back 25 to 30 million years.[citation needed] The mango exists in two races, one from India and the other from the Philippines and Southeast Asia. The Indian race does not tolerate humidity well, has flushes of bright red new growth that are subject to mildew, and bears monoembryonic fruit of high color and regular form. The southeast asian race tolerates excess moisture, has pale green or red new growth and resists mildew. Its polyembryonic fruit is pale green and elongated kidney-shaped.[citation needed] Reference to mangos as the "food of the gods" can be found in the Hindu Vedas. The name of the fruit comes from the Tamil word mangaai[1], or the Malayalam word manga[2], and popularised by the Portuguese after their Indian exploration, hence the word 'manga' in Portuguese. Mangos are large trees, reaching 35-40 m in height, with a crown radius of 10 m. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, simple, 15-35 cm long and 6-16 cm broad; when young they are orange-pink, rapidly changing to a dark glossy red, then dark green as they mature. The flowers are produced in terminal panicles 10-40 cm long; each flower is small and white with five petals 5-10 mm long, with a mild sweet odour suggestive of lily of the valley. After the flowers finish, the fruit takes from three to six months to ripen. The mango fruit is a drupe; when mature, it hangs from the tree on long stems. They are variable in size, from 10-25 cm long and 7-12 cm diameter, and may weigh up to 2.5 kg. The ripe fruit is variably coloured yellow, orange and red, reddest on the side facing the sun and yellow where shaded; green usually indicates that the fruit is not yet ripe, but this depends on the cultivar. When ripe, the unpeeled fruit gives off a distinctive resinous slightly sweet smell. In the center of the fruit is a single flat, oblong seed (as big as a large stone) that can be fibrous or hairless on the surface, depending on cultivar. Inside the shell, which is 1-2 mm thick, is a paper-thin lining covering a single seed, 4-7 cm long, 3-4 cm wide, 1 cm thick.

The chayote (Sechium edule) is an edible plant, which belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash. The plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit. The vine is grown on the ground or more commonly on trellises.

It is a slow-growing, evergreen shrub or small tree, from 2.5-4.5 m tall, with dense branches, sometimes bearing small thorns. The leaves are dark glossy green, and the flowers pure white, similar to citrus flowers, borne singly or clustered in the leaf-axils. Kumquats originated in China (they are noted in literature dating to the 12th century), and have long been cultivated there and in Japan. They were introduced to Europe in 1846 by Robert Fortune, collector for the London Horticultural Society, and shortly thereafter into North America. Originally placed in the genus Citrus, they were transferred to the genus Fortunella in 1915. There are four species currently accepted, including Hong Kong Wild Kumquat (Fortunella hindsii), Marumi Kumquat (Fortunella japonica), Meiwa Kumquat (Fortunella crassifolia), and Nagami Kumquat (Fortunella margarita). The kumquat may be crossed with other members of the Rutaceae family, most notably Citrus and trifoliate orange. Some examples of Citrofortunella hybrids are the limequat, orangequat, and calamondin. In appearance the kumquat fruit (generally called simply "kumquat") resembles a miniature oval or oblong orange, 3-5 cm long and 2-4 cm wide. Depending on variety, peel color ranges from yellow to red. A Nagami kumquat has an oval shape, while a Marumi kumquat is round. Kumquat fruit is generally in season from late November to February, and can be found in most food markets with other produce.

The Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) is a species of Annona native to the Andean-highland valleys of Perú, Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia. Although it is widely popular in Chile, Cherimoya is not native to that area. It has, however, been cultivated in Chile, making the nation one of the main exporters of Cherimoya in the region. It is a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 7 m tall. The leaves are alternate, simple, oblong-lanceolate, 7-15 cm long and 6-10 cm broad. The flowers are produced in small clusters, each flower 2-3 cm across, with six petals, yellow-brown, often spotted purple at the base. The fruit is oval, often slighly oblique, 10-20 cm long and 7-10 cm diameter, with a smooth or slightly tuberculated skin. The fruit flesh is white, and has numerous seeds embedded in it.

The durian (IPA: [du?i?n]) is the fruit of trees belonging to the genus Durio. There are currently 30 recognised Durio species, all native to south-eastern Asia. At least nine species produce edible fruit.<ref>Botany and Production of Durian (Durio zibethinus) in Southeast Asia</ref> Durio zibethinus is the only species available in the international market, but other species can be found in local markets in their native region. The durian fruit is distinctive for its large size, unique odour, and its formidable thorn-covered husk. Its name comes from the Malay word duri, meaning "thorn".<ref>Via durion, the Malay name for the plant. Oxford English Dictionary 1897; Huxley 1992.</ref> The fruit can grow up to 40 cm long and 30 cm in diameter, and typically weighs one to five kg. The shape of the fruit ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale-yellow to red, depending on species. Its hard outer husk is covered with sharp, prickly thorns, and the flesh within emits a strong, distinctive odour. Some regard this odour as fragrant, while the uninitiated often find it overpowering or offensive. The edible portions of the fruit are the custard-like flesh and the seed.