Eid Celebration: Time for Yemeni raisins [Archives:2005/891/Reportage]
November 3 2005
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Visiting Sana'a's markets, one can see people gushing over commodities in the days before the Eid festival; Men, women, and children spend most of the time shopping, streets are crowded and all are seeking to buy various clothings, perfumes, confectionary, electronic devices, and the like. However everybody buys their share of Yemeni raisins. Yemeni raisins continue to compete fiercely in the realm of sweets. However eid without Yemeni raisins is considered to be tasteless and vapid. Raisins have become very associated with eid to the extent that eid won't be celebrated unless raisins are involved! In fact, Raisins are the common denominator among all social classes and is the essential part of any collection of sweets on the happy occasion of Eid.
Raisins are indispensable
We met with a number of consumers who were shopping in the market. One of them had bought several items and he was plodding among the crowd and bargaining with the raisin seller. When asked if it is necessary for him to buy raisins, he replied that he cannot dispense with it: “I buy raisin at all Eids, It is true that we have home-made cakes but raisins have a distinguished status on the Eid day,” he said. Another shopper told me that something important would be missing if raisins are not bought. “On the day of Eid al-Fitr, each of us begins the morning breakfast with a handful of raisins. Of course there are also nuts besides.”
Yet, buyers complained that prices of raisins are a bit higher this eid. However, Mohammed Saleh, a farmer and salesman, told me that at the commencement of the harvest time of raisins, there is always a slight rise in price which disappears as soon as the market is beefed up with the produce but this is not a sign of exploitation of the Eid time. “It is just that this year's beginning of raisin harvest time coincides with the approach of Eid. This gives a mistaken impression of a manipulated higher price.”
Substantial increase in volume of sold raisins
A few days prior to Eid, the Yemen Times reporter visited a couple of markets in the Capital City of Sana'a to have a first-hand experience of the situation. The starting point was the Old City of Sana'a, namely at Samsarat Azzabeeb (Raisin Caravanserai) which is the biggest and oldest raisin-selling market in the city. There, the visitor gets astonished by the piles of sacks of raisins. Although most of the time it is a wholesale center, Samsarat Azzabeeb's wholesalers turn at Eid time into retailers because of the huge number of people who want to buy raisins for their household consumption. For these traders, it is a very lucrative season as the average merchant of them sells ten times what he sells on other days.
“Shortly prior to Eid al-Fitr, I sell between 30-40 sacks of raisins both in wholesale and retail,” said Abdul-Rahman Mutahar. He was sifting a quantity of raisins on a plastic sheet in a corner of Samsarat Azzabeeb, a one-storeyed arched building built under the Ottoman reign over a hundred years ago. It was first used as a customs house, later as a market for selling ghee and now it is designated for selling solely raisins.
Abdul-Rahman admits that during this season, he makes a good deal of profits and compensates the days of lower activity. However, he says that Yemeni raisins get always the attention of people particularly visitors throughout the year. Visitors of Yemen prefer to leave Yemen with bags of quality Yemeni raisins in their hands.
Ahmed Zayid, another salesmen, said that he sells raisins at a price ranging between 7000-40,000 riyals per sack, or 50-1200 riyals per bushel. He told me of the way raisins are prepared.
“When grapes are picked, they are put in the sunlight to dry for a period ranging between half and one and a half months depending on the weather and heat of the sun,” he said. He went on describing the process of drying raisins, “Wood posts are erected on concrete bricks. A small-holed net is then to be fitted on the tips of the posts. Grapes are to be put on the net and the second layer is made of vine leaves.”
Grapes remain outdoors for a period of at least two weeks. When they are completely dried, they are taken to be stored in airtight barrels. Despite this method's being traditional, it has proved itself to be effective and reliable.
Various types of raisins
Ali Humaid, another salesman with a shop on Khawlan street, gave me an account of the different types of raisins. He said that they are as varied as the types of Yemeni grapes. “A layman may not count more than ten types of raisins. Yet, the types of raisins are as different as the number of grape types. You know that we have some sixty types of grapes in Yemen.” He explained to me that prices of raisins differ according to quality and type: “Baiadh (whitish), an excellent seedless sort of raisin, is sold at high price because of its taste and purity.” The list of raisins include others such as Aswad (black), 'Asimi, Raziqi, etc. Even Baiadh itself is of different grades depending on the rate of imperfections and the manner of drying.
“A bushel of Baiadh is sold between 500-1500 riyals. This shows how quality can determine the price even of one single sort of raisin. Yet, we sell another type of raisins as low as 50 riyals a bushel,” he concluded.
Khaled Subaih, another seller, said that Yemeni raisins are procured from the rural areas of Sana'a, namely Khawlan and Bani Hushaish, but they are not the only sources.
“Although the bulk of the volume of raisins produced is brought into the different cities of the Republic of Yemen from the province of Sana'a, particularly from Bani Hushaish and Khawlan, raisins are also prepared from the grapes of Sa'adah plantations.”
Saadah is a province to the north of Sana'a. It is famous for growing fruits such as pomegranates. He whispered to me that in Saadah there are types of grapes that are so special that they are not sold in the market.
“Farmers over there keep the very best raisins to offer as presents for the elite and their dear ones,” he added. Some other salesmen told me that part of the excellent produce is transported across borders into neighboring rich Gulf States particularly adjacent Saudi Arabia.
Yemeni raisins affected by imported sorts
Despite the fame of the Yemeni raisins, they have been damaged by the imported ones. It is a fact that imported raisins pale into insignificance in comparison even to the modest quality Yemeni raisins. Such imported raisins come from countries such as Iran and China. Abdullah Mahdi, another raisin seller, confirmed to me that Yemeni raisin controls the market and that the imported raisins have only their attractive external shape while their taste doesn't live up to that of the Yemeni counterpart. This makes some people buy them for the purpose of just decorating their sweets. Another factor that plays against the favor of the Yemeni raisin is that price of imported raisins is relatively lower and people usually tend to buy the cheaper.
Usages of raisins
Yemeni people are famous for their liking to raisins. They eat raisins directly, that is, without additions or as an ingredient in food dishes. Nevertheless, raisins can have other usages. For instance, they can be used as ingredients in cakes, pascctries etc. and this is attributed to the spread of the culture of modern cookery. Moreover, many people like to drink raisin juice which is made by boiling and infusing raisins in water with the addition of sugar and certain spices. If you visit Bab al-Yemen (Yemen's Gate) in Sana'a, you will perceive shops that sell typical raisin juice. Such a tasty (non-alcoholic) juice is very popular and some people drink it while they are chewing qat claiming that it has a positive empowering effect.
Another significant observation about raisin is that it is most often bought along with 'Atar (tiny fried pea-like grains). It serves as an appropriate accompaniment to raisin because it mitigates the sweet taste of raisin producing a palatable effect.
Medical benefits of raisins
Part of the temptation of Yemeni raisin is imputed, not only to its wonderful taste, but also to the medical properties it enjoys. Even in folk medicine, raisins are used for treating illnesses such as pneumonia and incontinence of urine.
In old Arab medical tradition, physicians prescribed raisins to treat gastric inflammations and to help the body relax and digest food. Not only that, some of them maintained that raisins could help improve memory and recommended them for students who wanted to learn Quran and other knowledge. Arab renowned scientist Ibn Sina described raisins as being “friend to stomach and liver,” while Ibn al-Qayim al-Jawzyiah said it is useful in treating cough, kidney ache, bladder pain and in strengthening the stomach and softening the belly.
Similarly in the contemporary medical literature, experts recommend taking raisins. Besides fructose, raisins also contain vitamins like Vitamin C as well as antioxidants. They prevent heart troubles, help the body get rid of toxic materials, help in treating rheumatism as well as in coping with microbes and viruses.
More evidence comes from a recent research presented at the American Society for Microbiology's annual meeting in Atlanta, USA, which testified that raisins contain compounds that fight bacteria that cause cavities and gum diseases. This is an antithesis of the conventional belief that, because they contain sugar, raisins make teeth decay. It is almost no secret that raisins lower the amount of fat while adding the additional benefit of fiber.
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