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Culinary Dictionary
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| Category: Fruits |
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Grapes | ||
 A grape is the non-climacteric fruit that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be dried to produce raisins, sultanas or currants.Grapes grow in clusters of 6 to 300, and can be crimson, black, dark blue, yellow, green and pink. "White" grapes are actually green in color, and are evolutionarily derived from the red grape. Mutations in two regulatory genes of white grapes turn off production of anthocyanins which are responsible for the color of red grapes. Anthocyanins and other pigment chemicals of the larger family of polyphenols in red grapes are responsible for the varying shades of purple in red wines. Origin and History: Seeds of grapes were found in excavated dwellings of the Bronze-age in south-central Europe (3500-1000 BC), indicating early movement beyond its native range. Egyptian hieroglyphics detail the culture of grapes and wine making in 2440 BC. The Phoenicians carried wine cultivars to Greece, Rome, and southern France before 600 BC, and Romans spread the grape throughout Europe. Grapes moved to the Far East via traders from Persia and India. Grapes came to the new world with early settlement on the east coast, but quickly died out or did poorly. This was due to poor cold hardiness, insect, and disease resistance of Vinifera types. Spanish missionaries brought Vinifera grapes to California in the 1700s and found that they grew very well there. Nutrition Facts: Grapes offer 10.8 milligrams of vitamin C and 92 international units of vitamin A. There's about 0.19 milligrams of vitamin E in a regular serving of grapes, and 14.6 micrograms of vitamin K, which is essential for normative blood clotting. Grapes contain a good concentration of B vitamins; there's 0.086 mg of vitamin B6, 0.07 milligrams of riboflavin (B2), 0.188 milligrams of niacin (B3) and 0.05 milligrams of pantothenic acid (B5). These B vitamins are critical to maintaining optimum cellular function, particularly in the metabolism of energy. You can obtain 3.6 micrograms of foliate by eating a serve of grapes - this is important if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. |