Jenyfer Matthews

One of the things I like most about living in Egypt is the fresh produce. I’ve gone on and on in the past about how much I like pomegranates. The season has changed and now strawberries are inexpensive and plentiful. But in addition to the strawberries I have a new love:

Raisins.

I know what you’re thinking: what’s so great about raisins? And up until this week I would have thought the same thing.

I’ve never been much of a raisin fan. It’s not that I would avoid them or pick them out of baked goods (the way my daughter does) but I never actively looked for them either. I just don’t think much about them one way or another unless I’m making oatmeal cookies or carrot cake. But it’s surprisingly hard to find a satisfying raisin in Cairo. There are golden raisins available but they are hard and dry and while they will do in a pinch for baking, they are not quite as nice as the black raisins I’m used to (Sunmaid)

When I saw the raisins at the green grocers this week, I decided to buy a package – I was sure my son would enjoy them and at a $1 for half a kilo, it was worth a try. The carton of Sunmaid raisins I brought back in my suitcase this summer was long gone. Then I tried them myself.

Best. Raisins. Ever.

I’ve never had such plump, moist, sweet raisins. Sunmaid is a shadow of raisin compared to these. Here’s where things get a little weird.

The produce in Egypt is phenomenally good but there are some things that are only available seasonally. Right now the shops are full of local strawberries and tangerines. In the spring there will be plums and in the summer there will be grapes. The upside of eating what is in season locally is that we get to enjoy wonderful, fresh, tasty produce. The downside is that we only get to enjoy things for a relatively short time each year.

I understand that in fact it’s a better system – the food is fresher and tastes better. But as an American, I’m really not used to the idea of seasonal availability. In America you can pretty much get what you want, when you want it – if you’re willing to pay the price. It’s all designed to look better than it tastes and who knows where it is from, but it’s available. I admit it, knowing that I can only get things for short periods of time does create some anxiety in me. It makes me want to stock up against the day when things are no longer in season. I know that by the time strawberry season is over, I’ll be ready to move on to something else – as I was last year. I know I should enjoy what I can get in the moment because it’s hard to stockpile fresh strawberries or tangerines.

But it’s not so difficult to stockpile raisins. Which is how I ended up with five pounds of raisins in my kitchen. Weirder still is that I am contemplating buying more.

Best. Raisins. Ever.

EDITED TO ADD: I did a search on “storing fresh raisins” – which seems funny to me considering the fact that it’s dried fruit so how fresh can it be?? And it seems that refrigeration is indeed the way to go:

According to Iowa State University Extension:

Storing tips: Store in an airtight container. To prevent sugar from crystallizing on the surface,
store raisins in the refrigerator or freeze them. In the refrigerator, the raisins can last up to 1 year. They keep even longer in the freezer and will thaw quickly at room temperature.

Special tip: If chopping, freeze raisins before putting in food processor to prevent sticking.

There you have it – my justification to go completely bonkers buying raisins!

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