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National Raisin Day

Food · April 30

A day for raisins, the dried grapes that turn up in trail mix, oatmeal cookies, salads and lunchboxes across the country.

National Raisin Day falls on Friday, April 30, 2027. That is 185 days away.

A raisin is a grape that has given up most of its water. What is left is small, wrinkled and surprisingly sweet, with a chew that fresh grapes never quite manage.

Most raisins come from green grapes dried in the sun or in warm air. Dark raisins get their color as they dry. Golden raisins are usually treated to keep them pale, and they taste a little brighter. Currants, the tiny ones in scones, are often made from a small grape variety too.

Raisins are mostly eaten without ceremony. A handful goes into trail mix, a spoonful gets stirred into oatmeal, and a box rides along in a lunch bag. They also bake well, softening into cookies, breads and rice pudding. In savory cooking they show up beside nuts in pilaf, in carrot salads, and tucked into stuffings, where they add a sweet note against salt and spice.

If raisins in a recipe come out hard, soaking them first helps. A few minutes in warm water, tea or juice plumps them up so they stay soft in the oven.

The oatmeal raisin cookie has a reputation for being mistaken for chocolate chip at a glance. Plenty of people consider that a pleasant surprise.

Ways to celebrate

• Bake a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies.
• Try golden and dark raisins side by side.
• Stir raisins and nuts into a rice pilaf.
• Mix your own trail mix with raisins.
• Soak raisins in warm tea before baking.

Dates

All national days on April 30

Also on April 30

• National Oatmeal Cookie Day
• National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day
• National Arbor Day
• National Bubble Tea Day
• National Bugs Bunny Day
• National Hairball Awareness Day
• National Honesty Day
• National Mr. Potato Head Day
• National Military Brats Day

Categories: Food days