Dry grapes and raisins
A raisin is a dried grape. It can be eaten as it is or used in cooking and baking.
The international raisin standard describes raisins as the product made from sound dried grapes of Vitis vinifera. It allows both seedless and seed-bearing types. So "raisin" is the wide family name, and the other words sit inside it.
Kishmish and bedana
In India, two broad groups are commonly named. Bedana or kishmish is made from seedless grapes. Manuka or munakka is made from seeded grapes.
Maharashtra's Sangli district is described as India's largest raisin-producing district. The grape varieties used there include Thompson Seedless, among others.
Munakka
Munakka is made from larger black grapes that contain seeds. It is usually described as darker, a little wrinkled and bigger than ordinary raisins. The seeds are what set it apart from most packed raisins.
Sultana and golden raisins
Sultana is a golden-coloured dried grape. In the raisin standard, sultanas are covered as raisins sold under that name in some countries.
Golden colour usually comes from treatment with sulphur dioxide before drying. This slows browning. Naturally dried grapes without it are darker, brown to black.
Currants
A currant in the dried-fruit sense is a Zante currant. It is a raisin made from the small Black Corinth grape. Dried, each one weighs only about 0.09 to 0.14 grams, and the colour is dark brown to black.
Zante currants are not related to blackcurrants, redcurrants or whitecurrants. Those are berries from shrubs of the genus Ribes. The confusion comes only from the name. Currants taste tangier and less sweet than most raisins.
Quick comparison
- Raisin: any dried grape, seeded or seedless.
- Kishmish or bedana: from seedless grapes.
- Munakka or manuka: from larger, seeded grapes, usually darker.
- Sultana or golden raisin: golden colour, often from sulphur dioxide treatment.
- Currant: small, dark, tangy; dried Black Corinth grape.
Drying changes the product too
Raisins can be sun dried, shade dried or dried by machine. Sun drying is cheap but open to dust, insects and microbes if not managed well. Shade drying is used in Sangli to keep the natural colour and texture.
So two packs of the same grape can look and feel different depending on how they were dried.
Which one to buy
For eating whole and cooking without fuss, seedless kishmish is the easy choice. For a bigger, darker berry, look at seeded munakka-type fruit and plan to remove the seeds. For a sharp, tangy bite in bakes, look for currants. Our article on seeded and seedless dry grapes goes into this further.
What to look for on a pack
The raisin standard says the product name should be "raisins" or "sultanas", with words such as seeded, bleached or golden added where they apply. In India you will also see kishmish or munakka on packs.
Read the name and then check the ingredients and the colour. If the pack says only "dry grapes", look at the berry to see whether seeds are present, and ask the seller which grape it is.
Frequently asked questions
Is kishmish the same as raisin?
Kishmish usually means raisins made from seedless grapes. Raisin is the wider term and includes seeded types.
Are currants and raisins the same?
Both are dried grapes. Zante currants come from the small Black Corinth grape and are smaller, darker and tangier. They are not related to currant berries.
Is munakka a raisin?
Yes. It is a dried grape, made from larger black grapes that contain seeds.