The sultana is a "white" (pale green), oval seedless
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...
variety also called the sultanina, Thompson Seedless (United States), Lady de Coverly (England), and oval-fruited Kishmish (
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
,
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
,
Palestine,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
).
It is also known as İzmir üzümü (grape of İzmir) in
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
since this variety has been extensively grown in the region around
İzmir
İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...
. It is assumed to originate from
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, which later became part of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
.
In some countries, especially
Commonwealth countries, the name ''sultana'' is used for the
raisin
A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia, the word ''raisin'' is reserved for the ...
made from it or larger seedless grapes; such ''sultana raisins'' are often called sultanas or sultanis.
History
American sultana grapes are almost invariably Thompson Seedless, a name that refers to
William Thompson, a
viticulturist
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
who was an early grower in California and is sometimes credited with introducing the variety.
According to the US Code of Federal Regulations, the two names are synonymous. Virtually all of California raisin production (about 97% in 2000) and roughly one-third of California's total grape area is of this variety, making it the single most widely planted variety.
The Ottomans took the sultana grape variety to the island of Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, ...
in the 19th century.
Raisins
In the US, most raisins, including those with the typical dark brown color, are made from the sultana grape, the Thompson Seedless. The term "sultana" refers to golden-colored dried grapes, which may also be called "golden raisins" (such as marketed by Sun-Maid, a California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
-based raisin grape growers' co-op and legacy brand). Any grape may be used to produce golden raisins, and any kind of golden raisins from any kind of grape may be marketed as "sultanas." Moreover, the golden color may come from a treatment with sulfur dioxide rather than traditional drying and preservation methods. Most nonorganic sultana grapes in California and elsewhere are treated with the growth-inducing plant hormone gibberellin
Gibberellins (GAs) are plant hormones that regulate various developmental processes, including stem elongation, germination, dormancy, flowering, flower development, and leaf and fruit senescence. GAs are one of the longest-known classes of plan ...
. In other grapes, gibberellin is released by the seeds.
Other uses
The sultana grape is also used to make white wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
, in which use it is known for its "sweet blandness." It is referred to as a "three-way grape" because it is used as table grape
Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption while fresh, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, juice production, or for drying into raisins.
''Vitis vinifera'' table grapes can be in the form of either seeded or non-seeded varieta ...
, to make raisins and to make wine. In the United States, it is the base for wine generically called "chablis." This wine is named for the Chablis region of France, but it is not a true Chablis wine
Chablis () is a town and commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France.
It lies in the valley of the River Serein.
Wine
The village of Chablis gives its name to one of the most famous French white wines ...
. In the EU, "Chablis" wine must be made from the Chardonnay grape produced in the region of the Yonne
Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is l ...
département.
End uses include:
* Manufacturing industries such as bakeries and breakfast cereal producers
* Supermarkets
* Dairy products such as yogurt and ice-creams
* Salads and desserts
Its triple use has made the Thompson Seedless the most planted grape in California.
Sultana grape juice was fraudulently sold as being of Chardonnay grapes in Australia for winemaking, as Sultana grapes cost less. The fraud was discovered in 2003 by the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation
Wine Australia is an Australian Government statutory corporation that promotes and regulates the Australian wine industry. It was created as the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) in 1981 to replace the Australian Wine Board by the ...
. It was considered the largest case of wine deception in Australian history.
Sultaniye wines
Sultaniye wines are dry and semi-dry, light-bodied wines produced in Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
.[ Sultaniye grapes used in winemaking are mainly grown at Denizli and Manisa in the Aegean Region of Turkey. Sultaniye grapes are consumed as table grapes and raisins and used in winemaking.][ The Semillon and Sultaniye wines from the ]Marmara Region
The Marmara Region ( Turkish: ''Marmara Bölgesi'') is a geographical region of Turkey.
Located in northwestern Turkey, it is bordered by Greece and the Aegean Sea to the west, Bulgaria and the Black Sea to the north, the Black Sea Region to th ...
of Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
attract attention not only in the local market but also in international markets.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sultana
Table grape varieties
Raisins
Berries