Our viands

How is it that we always think of the grape rather as a wine-producer than as a fruit ? Perhaps because the earliest historical record of it is when Noah began to be a husband- man and planted a vineyard, and, instead of being content, as so good a man should have been, to eat the fruit of his vines in a rational way, or to press out the pure juice into his cup — as the temperance people, had they then been living, would have persuaded him was the only true wine — he set to work to make experiments, and, as people do under such circumstances, got bemuddled over them, until he did not know exactly what he was about, and hence the vine has been associated with wine, and the juice of the grape with drunkenness, ever since. And yet the grape as a fruit is excellent, as we all know, and the great luscious bunches which hang in our green-houses are tempting in the extreme; but these are only produced at a cost which puts them beyond the reach of the million^ and fits them only for a place on the table of the millionaire. In countries where grapes grow with little care, the ripe clusters are gathered and eaten as required, and the rest are thrown into the wine vat, for it is a fruit which will not bear much handling and packing, although of late years it 183 1 84 OUR VIANDS has been found possible to pack the ripe bunches in barrels, filling up the interstices with sawdust or with cork- dust, and thus the London market is supplied all the year round with a fruit always grateful to the palate, especially of invalids, at a ridiculously low price. The best qualities of these foreign grapes seldom exceed a shilling a pound, and they are sometimes to be had for fourpence. Most of these grapes come from Lisbon, but some were sent over from Australia during the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, and arrived in good condition. It seems a pity that in lands so remote, the superabundant grapes should not be converted into raisins, and sent to us in that form, for grapes au naturel are of no use in the kitchen ; but the dried grapes, both raisins and currants, are indispensable. Where would be our country's boast, sent all over the world now — the Christmas plum pudding — if we could not get raisins and currants ? What dismay there would be amongst our cooks, if the markets of Malaga and Valencia were closed to us ! And yet we have seen raisins from Cape Colony and Natal equal to any of these.* Why do they not send us more of them, and of dessert fruit, too, — muscatels dried on the stalk, which, with almonds, blanched or not, are the delight of all children, and not despised by those of more mature age, for we have seen grey-haired men discuss a dish of them with considerable relish, without thinking much of Tommy's disgust at finding the dish empty. * Two Australian colonies, of which the chief is Milcura in Victoria, have lately been formed for the cultivation and drying of raisins, figs, apricots, peaches, etc., so that we may soon hope to have sun-dried fruit in the market, from the Antipodes. GRAPES, FIGS, AND ORANGES 185