National Raisin Week

National Raisin Week celebrates raisins during a seven-day observance beginning May 1. These sweet, chewy dried grapes can be enjoyed on their own or used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Raisins have been made for thousands of years; one account traces grape dehydration to ancient Persia and Egypt, where raisins were also prized by the Romans. The related National Raisin Day was first promoted by California raisin growers in 1909, with newspaper advertisements, radio announcements, and door-to-door flyers encouraging people to enjoy the fruit. Restaurants, hotels, dining cars, and steamships even featured raisin dishes during that first observance. Punchbowl’s history of National Raisin Day provides additional background.

How to Observe National Raisin Week

Celebrate by enjoying raisins as a snack or adding them to a favorite dish. Bake oatmeal raisin cookies or cinnamon raisin bread, stir raisins into cereal or trail mix, or try them in a savory recipe such as a salad, rice dish, or curry. You can also learn more about how grapes are dried and explore Sun-Maid’s collection of raisin recipes.

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