Editing Grape (section)

== Uses ==
[[File:Armenian dolma.jpeg|upright=0.9|thumb|Grape leaves in cuisine ([[dolma]])]]
=== Culinary ===
Grapes are eaten raw, dried (as raisins, currants and sultanas), or cooked. Also, depending on the grape cultivar, grapes are used in winemaking. Grapes can be processed into a multitude of products such as jams, juices, vinegars and oils.
Commercially cultivated grapes are classified as either table or wine grapes. These categories are based on their intended method of consumption: grapes that are eaten raw (table grapes), or grapes that are used to make wine (wine grapes).
Table grape cultivars normally have large, seedless fruit and thin skins. Wine grapes are smaller (in comparison to table grapes), usually contains seeds, and have thicker skins (a desirable characteristic in making wine). Most of the aroma in wine is from the skin. Wine grapes tend to have a high sugar content. They are harvested at peak sugar levels (approximately 24% sugar by weight.) In comparison, commercially produced "100% grape juice" made from table grapes are normally around 15% sugar by weight.<ref name="wineloverspage_com" />

==== Raisins, currants and sultanas ====
{{Main|Raisin}}
[[File:Raisins 01.jpg|thumb|right|[[Raisin]]s]]

In most of Europe and North America, dried grapes are referred to as "raisins" or the local equivalent. In the UK, three different varieties are recognized, forcing the EU to use the term "dried vine fruit" in official documents.

A ''[[raisin]]'' is any dried grape. While ''raisin'' is a French [[loanword]], the word in French refers to the fresh fruit; ''grappe'' (from which the English ''grape'' is derived) refers to the bunch (as in ''une grappe de raisins''). A raisin in French is called ''raisin sec'' ("dry grape").

A ''[[Zante currant|currant]]'' is a dried [[Zakynthos|Zante]] Black Corinth grape, the name being a corruption of the French ''raisin de Corinthe'' ([[Corinth]] grape). The names of the black and red currant, now more usually [[blackcurrant]] and [[redcurrant]], two berries unrelated to grapes, are derived from this use. Some other fruits of similar appearance are also so named, for example, Australian currant, native currant, Indian currant.<ref>{{Cite OED|currant|id=46089}}</ref>

A ''sultana'' was originally a raisin made from [[Sultana (grape)|Sultana grapes]] of Turkish origin (known as Thompson Seedless in the United States), but the word is now applied to raisins made from either white grapes or red grapes that are bleached to resemble the traditional sultana.

==== Juice ====
[[File:Grape Juice.jpg|thumb|upright|Grape juice]]
{{Main|Grape juice}}
Grape juice is obtained from crushing and blending grapes into a liquid. The juice is often sold in stores or [[fermentation (wine)|fermented]] and made into [[wine]], [[brandy]], or [[vinegar]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2025-02-09 |title=Wine - Fermentation, Aging, Varietals {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/wine/The-wine-making-process |access-date=2025-02-18 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> Grape juice that has been pasteurized, removing any naturally occurring yeast, will not ferment if kept sterile, and thus contains no alcohol.  In the [[wine]] industry, grape juice that contains 7–23% of pulp, skins, stems and seeds is often referred to as "[[must]]".<ref name=":1" /> 

In North America, the most common grape juice is purple and made from [[Concord (grape)|Concord grapes]], while white grape juice is commonly made from [[Niagara (grape)|Niagara grapes]], both of which are varieties of {{Not a typo|native American}} grapes, a different species from European wine grapes. In California, Sultana (known there as Thompson Seedless) grapes are sometimes diverted from the raisin or table market to produce white juice.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sweetwatercellars.com/thompsonseedless.html |title=Thompson Seedless Grape Juice |work=sweetwatercellars.com |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325155101/http://sweetwatercellars.com/thompsonseedless.html |archive-date=2012-03-25 |access-date=2012-02-17}}</ref>

==== Vinegars ====
''Husrum'', also known as ''[[verjuice]]'', is a type of vinegar made from sour grapes in the Middle East. It is produced by crushing unripened grapes, collecting and salting the juice, simmering it to remove foam, and then storing it with a layer of olive oil to prevent contamination and oxidation. It is then used as an acidic ingredient in salads and stuffed vegetables.<ref>Cosme, F., Pinto, T., & Vilela, A. (2018). Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in grape juices: A chemical and sensory view. ''Beverages'', ''4''(1), 22, p. 9</ref> Unripened ''husrum'' grapes sent from [[Tel Ashkelon|Ashkelon]] to [[Egypt]] are mentioned in a 12th-century document found in the [[Cairo Geniza]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Amar |first=Zohar |author-link=Zohar Amar |title=Agricultural Produce in the Land of Israel in the Middle Ages |publisher=Yad Izhak Ben Zvi |year=2000 |location=Jerusalem |pages=116 |language=he}}</ref> In Iran, a sour grape vinegar is used for making [[Shirazi salad]].