Sultanas
Sultanas
Sultanas are the fruit and plant of Vitis vinifera. This variety of green, seedless, grape, usually sold dried, of ancient (possibly Persian) lineage, is often used in cooking especially in Australia and the United Kingdom.
They can be eaten as-is or used in baking. For some recipes, they are soaked in a liquid (fruit juice, alcohol, stock, or water), making them plump, tender and juicy. They are similar, though not identical, to the golden raisins sold in North America, and the two can be substituted for each other in recipes without disadvantage.
Normally it takes up to 3 weeks for the grapes to dry. To minimise the time and retain the light colour farmers use a Potassium carbonate and olive oil solution which cracks the invisible membrane on the grape and speeds the drying time. Grapes dried in this manner are called Sultanas.
Raisins
Raisins
Raisins are usually mistaken for being a different variety to Sultanas. Although raisins are thought to come from darker berries, they are actually exactly the same variety : Vitis vinifera as sultanas.
The reason why they are darker, is because they are not treated with Potassium Carbonate and olive oil solution – hence the drying time is longer than Sultanas. As they stay longer under the sun, they become darker in colour.
Sulphured Apricots
Sulphured Apricots
The Apricot (Prunus armeniaca, syn. Armeniaca vulgaris) is a fruit-bearing tree native to China. It is related to the Plum, and classified with it in the subgenus Prunus of the genus Prunus. They are traditionally treated with Sulpher Dioxide to protect the product and retain its natural colour.
Natural Apricots
Natural Apricots
Unlike sulphered apricots, the natural apricots are not treated with Sulpher Dioxide, hence they are unable to retain their natural colour.
Although there is a wrongful assumption that the natural apricots are of inferior quality, this is purely due to the fact that they may not look very appealing to the eye of the customer. On the other hand since they stay longer under the sun, the sugar inside the fruits starts caramelising which creates a unique flavour unbeatable by suplhered apricots.
Figs
Figs
The Common fig (Ficus carica) is a large, deciduous shrub or small tree native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region.
Aydın, İzmir and Muğla region, which used to be called antique Caria region, are the top fig-producers in Turkey.
Dates
Dates
The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a palm in the genus Phoenix, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Although its place of origin is unknown because of long cultivation, it probably originated from lands around the Persian Gulf.
Mixed Fruits
Mixed Fruits
Tradionally used in cake mixes, dried mixed fruits are widely enjoyed especially in the UK and Australia.
Hazelnuts
Hazelnuts
The Common Hazel (Corylus avellana) is a shrub native to Europe and Asia.
Turkey, which is among the few countries having appropriate climatic conditions for hazelnut production is covering alone the 75% of the total world-production and 70-75% of the total world-export.