The third class of raisins are the _dipped_ raisins, so called from
being dipped in boiling lye before being dried and cured. The Spanish
name for these raisins is _Lexias_. The name _Lexia_ is, again, derived
from a more ancient word, the Latin _lixivium_, or _lixia_, meaning
_lye_. To-day the continental name for this class of raisin is _Lexias_,
when the more specific names of Denias and Valencias are not used. Here,
in America, we generally use these names, and whenever we speak of
Valencias and Denias we mean the dipped raisins of these districts. To
the above three classes of raisins we might appropriately add Sultanas
and Malagas. The Sultanas are made from the Sultana grape, a seedless
grape from Asia Minor, now grown in many Mediterranean countries, as
well as here in California. The Malagas, again, were originally the
Muscatels grown around Malaga, in Spain; but of late this name is being,
with considerable confusion, applied to a coarser raisin made in
California from a grape here called, for want of a better name, the
Malaga grape.
Among names which were formerly much used, but which have gone out of
use, was the Solis, or sun-dried raisins, especially the sun-dried
Muscatels of Malaga. As early as 1295 A. D., the Muscatels were
generally called thus: Raisins of the sun; Solis, or sun-dried, so as to
distinguish them from the inferior dipped, or Lexias. In our own time,
this name was nearly being revived, when a couple of years ago our
California _sun-dried_ raisins were spoken of in opposition to our
_machine-dried_ raisins, and when both classes had their earnest and
enthusiastic champions.
We cannot leave this chapter on names without referring to classes of
raisins receiving their names from certain localities. Of course, the
number of such names may be almost endless. It is, however, only of
interest to refer to the principal ones, such as have been known to
commerce in former days or are yet known. Thus, we designate as Malagas
any of the raisins grown and shipped from Malaga. The Smyrnas (formerly
Smirna) are those from Smyrna, in Asia Minor, both sun-dried and dipped
raisins; the Alicantes, dipped raisins, from Alicante, in Spain; the
Denias, dipped raisins from Denia, in Spain; the Valencias, dipped
raisins from Valencia (include Denias); the Lipari, raisins from the
Island of Lipari, near Sicily; the Belvideres, from the same island and
from the Island of Pantellaria; the Calabrian raisins, from Calabria, in
Italy; the Faro raisins, from the port of Faro, in Algarve, Portugal. We
have above already referred to the currants, from the town of Corinth
and the Grecian Islands, and the Malagas, from Malaga. The latter were
also known as “great raisins,” on account of their superior quality.
Among the latter we should, of course, count the California raisins;
but, unfortunately, our raisin-growers have not until quite recently
recognized the necessity of adopting names which should at once show the
locality where the raisins are produced. But we will return to this
further on.