Leaving remote antiquity, it was only in the Mediterranean basin, and in
comparatively modern times, that the drying of grapes developed to an
important industry, and in more recent times yet that grapes were
exported to Northern Europe. While thus the industry is old, it was not
until the eleventh century, at the time of the Crusades, that it became
important. The returning knights brought with them taste for and
acquaintance with the products of the East. Northern Europe became the
consumers of raisins, regarding them as the greatest luxuries, only to
be afforded by the rich. It has been reserved for our time to make the
raisin a necessity even in humbler homes. The perfection to which the
raisin industry has attained is of modern origin not yet half a century
old.
The raisin districts of the world are not large, and while for centuries
every effort was made to extend the planting of raisin grapes and their
curing into raisins, few of these efforts have been crowned with
success. While raisin grapes may grow and be turned into raisins in
almost every part of the Mediterranean basin, experience has
demonstrated that it has only proved a paying business in comparatively
few localities. The reasons of this are not fully apparent; but they are
evidently dependent both upon climatic conditions and upon the
capability of the natives to learn and profit by the experiences of
others, and upon their enterprise in venturing upon a new industry. On
the other hand, it is not likely that, even with extensive experiments
and with the aid of large capital, the growing and curing of the raisin
grapes could be very extensively extended. The question there as well as
here is not one alone of agricultural consideration, but a financial
problem dependent upon the labor supply, the facilities for shipping,
climatic conditions during the curing season, etc. Such being the case,
all the more interest is attached to those localities and districts
where the raisin industry flourishes, and where there is every
probability that it will remain a success.