The humble raisin, a simple fruit with delicious flavours lends itself as a snacking, baking or topping ingredient. Here at Crazy Jack we’re fond of these tasty treats, sharing them amongst the team to keep us powering through the afternoon to tea time.
More favourably our Emma grabs a load of them for ‘testing’ purposes and sticks a load in delicious cakes – the recent Christmas Cake was a favourite in the office!
But what else are raisins good for? Here are five reasons we love raisins so much:
- They have a range of uses. Whether you’re mixing them with nuts and seeds to create a healthier treat for your family, creating one of your favourite cakes or adding them to a curry, raisins will make a great addition. Check out our range of tasty recipes in our recipe book.
- They’re good for you (as a snack, not in your bakes 😉 ). Raisins contain high levels of catechins, which enter your body when you eat them. These are antioxidants in the blood that can help to prevent cancer (healthbeckon.com).
- They’re a cost-effective way to add something a little healthier to your life. A bag of raisins will keep you and your family fuller for longer (organicfacts.net). You can find our range of snacking fruits and nuts here.
- They contain calcium and the micronutrient boron, which both promote bone health.
- Did we mention they’re good in cakes? With Christmas around the corner, they’re the ideal ingredient for your Christmas pudding.
Christmas Baking
Stir-up Sunday may have been and gone but it’s not too late to get your raisins out and get baking in time for the big day! Baking is a Christmas tradition which harks back to times when friends and family would come together to bake in preparation for Christmas Day.
You can find a different take on the traditional Christmas pies, with our Christmas Mince Pies here.
Some of our favourite Christmas baking traditions are:
- The stirring of the pudding from East to West. Preparing the pud in this way reminds us of the three wise men who visited Jesus at his birth, bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh.
- In times gone by every Christmas pudding contained 13 ingredients. These 13 ingredients represented Jesus and his disciples.
- Adding coins to the pudding was said to bring luck, if you were the lucky one to find them in your portion on Christmas Day. Before coins, charms were used. These were a silver coin for wealth, a wishbone for luck, a thimble for thrift, a ring for marriage and an anchor for safe harbour. Give yours a thorough inspection before eating though. You wouldn’t want to bite in to one!
So now you know what raisins are good for. Lots of things and we love them!
As always, we’d love to see your marvellous recipe shots on our Instagram (@crazyjackorganic) and Facebook (@crazyjackorganic) pages.
References
https://www.healthbeckon.com/raisins-benefits/
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit/health-benefits-of-raisins.html
