Grapes offer wide variety of benefits and uses

Some fruits are sought after because of their taste, others for their aroma. Some are preferred for their nectar, while yet another group are precious because they add special flavors to the dishes in which they are used as ingredients. There are only a very special few, however, that are unique on account of the matchless culture they have created. Grapes belong to this last category. I also find them very intriguing because they make up one of the main dimensions of the Mediterranean culinary culture that I am so devoted to. 

Grapes basically come in two kinds; black and white. These two groups can further be subcategorized into many different types according to their sugar level, existence of seeds and color tones. All these subcategories are more simply considered in two main groups; “wine grapes” and “table grapes.” 

Grapes and their by-products top the list of the most enjoyable flavors of the Mediterranean cuisine. These products are also among the most often consumed food items of the famous Mediterranean Food Pyramid. In other words, their health benefits are definitely as unquestionable as their flavor. Even though wine, the nectar of the gods, is without any doubt the most important grape-based flavor, there are various other products made of grapes in the world culinary repertoire that justify close attention. Raisins, grape juice, vinegar and desserts made with grapes are the first few that immediately come to mind. 

One of the oldest fruits to be cultivated in history, grapes date back thousands of years. Their homeland is the geography we live in, Mesopotamia and the Caucasus. Naturally, the most significant product of grapes, wine, has also been produced in these regions for the first time in history. This is to be expected, given the temperature needed to bring about fermentation. As the transformation of the fruit into an alcoholic drink on its own would require certain climatic conditions, it is very natural that this process should take place in Mesopotamia and/or Caucasus, where the climate is suitable. Most probably, these two regions were also the first places where sun-dried grapes were eaten as much as fresh table grapes. As a matter of fact, it is known that the Greeks and the Romans consumed raisins. 

As can be guessed easily, the cuisines that make the most frequent use of grapes in its many different forms are also from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Caucasus. In these regions, grapes are not only consumed fresh and/or used for the production of various alcoholic drinks, but are ingredients to several different dishes as well. The ripe grape finds its place on tables and in desserts, while the juice of the unripe “koruk” is used as an ingredient for the sour molasses used in marinating meat and seasoning salads. Grape juice is also the material from which vinegar is made in the area and grapevine leaves are used in the famous “sarma” of the Eastern Mediterranean, while grape seeds are a very popular raw material for homeopathic medicine. 

For many reasons, grapes have been the inspiration of countless legends and tales throughout history, especially in the Mediterranean. There are many mythological stories about grapes. In many pagan religions, wine and vintage gods exist. Almost all the walks of art are filled with several important well-known works inspired by grapes and/or wine. The wine gods in Greek and Roman mythologies are known to the world not only because of their own stories but also for different situations where they exist as symbols. The Greek wine god Dionysus is the symbol of the joy and pleasure that comes from wine, as well as the sorrow and sadness which comes from the death of nature that takes place at every vintage time. This dilemma later disappears in Roman mythology, where Dionysus turns into Bacchus who represents joy only, having been transformed into a playful, naughty god. In any case, both gods have formed their own cults, their existence being celebrated with festivities and feasts that are named after them. Civilizations that have created gods for wine and vintage in history are not limited to those two. All societies where grapes and wine are consumed have prioritized the subject. For example, there existed special punishments for those who damaged the vine plant in some antique civilizations and the Egyptians, even though they had several other gods for agriculture and harvest, created a separate goddess for the vine stalk, Gestin.

The unique place grapes hold in world cuisine, and especially in Mediterranean cuisine, with their taste, benefits, culture and legends seems to be as permanent as the planet