Call help: Why are raisins called raisins if they are only dried grapes? - Help.com

Any fruit can be dried and just because it has been dried does not mean that it requires a new name or definition. Most dried fruits are just reffered to as the the particular fruit with the word dried preceding it. Maybe it has to do with the popularity of the particular dried fruit. The more popular something is the more names it aquires. Personally I would like to know where the word raisin comes from and why they aren’t just called dried grapes (I’m going to guess that it has to do with the fact that grapes are also dried for use in sweet wines. BTW, there’s no such thing as dumb questions, only dumb people, such as yourselves.

The word “raisin” is french for “dried grape” and the french were the first to dry grapes therefore, raisin isn’t any different than other dried fruits–it is a legacy of our cultural borrowing from the French when France ruled England for 100 years. One of my students asked me this question in my 6th grade class. I thought it showed critical and unique thinking — not a dumb person or question. It is nice to someone who actually thinks about the world around them and does simply accept it because “that’s how its always been.”

wow, ^^ i’ve always wondered this. its not a dumb question.

Its not a dumb question, its a pretty good question which was answered correctly ;)

Then why is a sultana a sultana and a currant a currant if they are all dried grapes or les raisins. Veejay

Then why is a sultana a sultana and a currant a currant if they are both dried grapes or les raisins. Veejay