Kismis

What is the first thing you remember when it comes to kismis? Exactly! I also remembered kismis sweets,

one of the most popular sweets in most of our childhood. Some people may also remember raisin chickpeas,

which of course are both delicious and attractive foods. Have you ever thought about the properties of kismis, apart from the fact that they are delicious? Dear friends, the good news is that this food is a favorite not only of all

age groups because of its sweetness, but also has energy sources, various vitamins, minerals and electrolytes that give kismis special nutritional importance.

Interestingly, kismis has a great effect on lowering blood pressure and maintaining heart health. Some studies show that daily consumption of raisins, especially with other snacks,

reduces blood pressure significantly. On the other hand, raisins are so easy and fast to consume

and available that you will have no excuse to remove them from your diet. In the following, we want to learn more about the properties of raisins.

Know more about the raisins family

Raisins are actually the same as dried grapes. We usually prepare kismis and raisins in two traditional and industrial ways. In the traditional method,

we pour the grapes into a large tray and dry in the sun, or, as our grandmothers used to do, we hang the bunches of grapes in basements or dark rooms to dry and turn into raisins. In the industrial type,

sulfur vapor or immersion in sharp water or other types of methods is a good option to prepare raisins.

It’s good to know that raw grapes are usually suitable for making raisins, but if one wishes, one can dry and use any grapes. In some countries, the most well-known type of raisin is green raisin,

which is suitable for a snack with chickpeas or our favorite raisin chickpeas.

Another type of raisin that is almost as popular as green raisins is pilaf raisins, which has a delicious taste with lentils and other foods. Another famous type of raisins is currants,

which are specifically from royal grapes and have long been one of our favorite snacks.

To be more specific, they are smaller, darker and have a sharper taste than ordinary raisins. As the final point, other types of raisins differ in the type of grapes and the drying process.

Usually, because the grape dries the sugar to become caramelized, the color of the raisins becomes darker than the color of the grapes themselves. But in the preparation of raisins in an industrial way,

because sulfur gas exists, the color of raisins is golden and more colorful than traditional ones.

Needless to mention that when grapes turn into raisins

the concentration of phenolic compounds in them increases significantly, which plays a significant role in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

The phenolic compounds of raisins are quinic acid, garlic, chlorogenic and caffeic acid, catechins and epicatechins.

While many people generally avoid eating industrial raisins that their dryness is by sulfur dioxide because of their sulfur allergies,

golden raisins are more nutritious because the antioxidants in sulfur prevent them from being lost due to the drying of the grapes.

Presumably, raisins by sulfur vapor have higher amounts of antioxidants

and phenolic compounds than traditional raisins. In general, the process of drying grapes and turning them into raisins preserves the antioxidant

properties of grapes better and increases its concentration compared to fresh grapes.

There is another type of raisin called Sultana which originates from Turkey. This type is small and is popular in Europe. Another type of raisin is also Muscat raisin, which is larger and sweeter than other types of raisins.

As mentioned before, raisins appear by two traditional methods (either drying grape seeds in the sun)

and industrial methods (either immersing them in sharp water or drying them with sulfur dioxide). Unlike other dried fruits,

to which sugar may be added during the drying process for better taste, raisins dry without the addition of any sweeteners. This food without extra sugar particles creates a very sweet taste in

the mouth and its consumption is like dates as a natural sweetener.

What nutrients exist in Kismis?

With all these characteristics, you may be wondering if kismis fruits are healthy? The answer is just one word: Yes!

Natural energy is not the only thing you get from eating kismis. In fact, kismis, grapes and raisins are all rich in fiber,

potassium, iron and other essential nutrients, but fortunately, they do not have saturated fat and cholesterol, and surprisingly they are gluten-free.

As an example, 50 grams of kismis contain the following:

129 calories;

34 grams of carbohydrates;

1.3 grams of protein;

0.2 grams of fat;

1.6 grams of fiber;

25.4 grams of sugar;

322 mg of potassium;

0.8 mg iron;

0.08 Vitamin B6;

14 mg of magnesium;

22 mg of calcium;

Finally, it has 1.5 micrograms of vitamin K.

Properties of Kismis

Regardless of the popularity of a snack, it depends on the taste of the people, but kismis fruits are edible due to its polyphenols, antioxidants,

flavonoids and nutrients. Here we want to mention some of the properties of the raisins family as evidence for our profession:

  1. Reduce the risk of oral and gum disease
  2. Helps excellent digestion
  3. Controlling high blood pressure and reducing the risk of stroke
  4. Help control diabetes
  5. Help prevent cancer
The history of kismis and some interesting facts about it

It is interesting to know that the grape from which raisins first appeared was in Egypt and

Iran around 2000 BC and also exists in the books of the Old Testament, the Bible and the Qur’an. In the early days of the kismis,

the Romans and Greeks decorated their religious sites with grapes and kismis, giving raisins as prizes to sports winners.

Until the twentieth century, Turkey, Iran and Greece were the main producers of raisins and kismis,

and in the mid-twentieth century, the United States and Australia became the second largest producers of raisins and kismis in the world. Today,

the American raisin industry is in the state of California (where raisins first produced in 1851).

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