All year round go for the grape.

Delicious Australian dried grapes are considered to be the finest in the world. Traditionally a festive season must, Australian dried fruits can also be enjoyed year round as a scrumptious and nutritious snack, or a tasty feature in a variety of sweet and savoury dishes. Australian dried fruits are considered among the best, because of our very high quality control standards.

Did you know?

- Most of our grapes for dried fruit are grown in the Sunraysia region of Northwest Victoria and Southwest NSW, with smaller quantities grown in the Riverland region of South Australia and the Swan Valley and Bindoon regions of Western Australia.



- Sultana grapes are harvested around mid-February. Believed to originate from the Iranian town of Soultanleh, over thousands of years the variety spread across the Middle East, Southern Russia and Western China. Vine cuttings found their way to Australia in 1867 via two sources, the Cape of Good Hope near Cape Town in South Africa and England. Other wine and table grape varieties, such as Shiraz are also dried from time to time.



- Raisins are among the oldest dried fruits known to man. The name derives from the Latin "racemus", which means "a cluster of grapes or berries". The Romans produced a raisin wine that they called Acinatisius and ate the fruit at banquets. Raisin cakes are mentioned in the Old Testament.



- Currants were cultivated in Greece, near the city of Corinth from which they derive their name. They were dried quickly in the sun due to their small size. One of the earliest accounts of fruit drying in Western Europe is by the Greek poet, Homer during the period 900 - 800 BC. Currants were not generally used in Europe until the Crusades when they became popular as a valuable alternative to honey.

- Sunmuscats, a delicious, new variety of plump, seedless raisin are now available on the Australian market and are proving to be a winner with consumers and food processors alike, because of their distinct Muscat flavour.

Nutrition
Four kilograms of fresh grapes produce just one kilo of dried vine fruit. Dried grapes are rich in easily absorbed fruit sugars to provide a constant source of energy. They contain virtually no fat or cholesterol and have large amounts of vitamins and minerals and a high dietary fibre content. Australians eat an average of 2kg each per year. Our national consumption is second only to New Zealand.

Storing dried fruits
Dried fruits are naturally resistant to spoilage and with care will keep for months. Air and heat can cause the fruit to dry and harden, so it is necessary to keep unopened packages in cool, dry places at temperatures below 20C. Open fruit should be kept in airtight containers, such as glass jars. If in humid conditions it may be necessary to refrigerate. Dried fruits can also be stored in the freezer and will thaw quickly at room temperature.


The Australian Dried Fruits Association Inc.

Visit www.adfa.asn.au.
The ADFA was formed in 1907 as a federation of the Mildura Dried Fruits Association and the Renmark Raisin Trust. It was established for dried fruits growers and controlled by dried fruits growers, with representation from packers, marketing agents, and merchants.

Today, the ADFA remains a grower based organisation that represents growers' interests to all outside parties including government and provides a forum for discussion and decision making on all matters relating to the conduct and management of the Australian dried fruits industry.

Major dried fruit processors, Sunbeam Foods and Angas Park Fruit Company are both processor and marketer members of the Australian Dried Fruits Association.

Currant beef olives with currant and muscat sauce

Serve with sweet potato and swede mash and large mushrooms, which have been drizzled in oil and with a dash of balsamic vinegar and microwaved on high for 4 minutes.
Serves 6.

You'll need
6 slices bread, cut into small cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup currants
2 tbls parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
3 eggs
1 tsp tabasco sauce
Salt & black pepper to taste
6 large beef snitzels, pounded thinly
6 tbls olive oil

Sauce
1/2 cup currants
1 1/2 cups Muscat
2 tsp hot English mustard
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup cream
1/2 cup water

Here's how
Combine the bread, onion, currants, parsley, garlic, eggs, tabasco, salt and pepper. Place a handful of this mixture onto each snitzel and carefully roll up. Secure with toothpicks and cover with clingwrap. Leave overnight in the refrigerator for the flavours to combine. In a large frypan heat the oil and cook the olives very gently turning so as to brown each side. To make sauce: Place all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the sauce thickens to a rich consistency. Serve on a bed of swede potato mash with a generous ladle of sauce.

Mash

You'll need: 2 medium swedes, peeled and diced 4 large potatoes, peeled & diced 4 tbls butter salt & pepper to taste.

Here's how: Place the swedes and potatoes in a pot of salted water and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and mash with butter, salt & pepper to taste.

Source: The Australian Dried Fruits Association

Pictures: Angas Park, Murdoch Books.