Grapes
Grapes are small, juicy fruit that grow in clusters on vines, eaten fresh as a snack, baked into dishes for a burst of sweetness, or dried into raisins and currants.
How to buy
Choose grapes that are plump, firmly attached to green, flexible stems, and free of shriveling or brown spots near the stem end -- a dry, brittle stem is a sign of age. A light, powdery white bloom on the skin is natural and harmless. Taste a grape before buying a large bunch if possible, since sweetness can vary significantly even within the same variety and season.
How to store
Keep grapes unwashed in their original perforated bag or a loose container in the refrigerator, where they'll stay fresh for one to two weeks. Wash them only right before eating, since residual moisture speeds mold growth. Grapes freeze well whole and make a refreshing frozen snack, or can be thawed slightly for use in cooked sauces.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Sweet with a balancing acidity that varies by variety -- Concord grapes are musky and intensely grapey, while table varieties like red and green seedless tend toward cleaner, straightforward sweetness. Roasting grapes concentrates their sugars and brings out a jammy, slightly wine-like depth.
- Texture
- Firm and crisp with a juicy burst when bitten into; the skin can be slightly chewy depending on variety. Roasting or sautéing softens grapes into a jammy, almost syrupy texture while the skins may blister and split.
- Aroma
- Fresh grapes have a light, sweet fragrance, but Concord and other labrusca varieties carry a distinctive musky, foxy aroma from methyl anthranilate that's far more pronounced than in typical table grapes.
How to prepare
- Eaten fresh — Served whole as a simple snack or on a cheese and charcuterie board.
- Roasted — Roasted until the skins blister and the flesh turns jammy, often paired with roasted meats or cheese.
- Frozen — Frozen whole for a cold, slushy-textured snack, especially popular in hot weather.
- Dried into raisins — Dehydrated to concentrate sugars into a chewy, intensely sweet dried fruit.
- Pressed into juice or wine — Crushed and fermented or pressed fresh, the basis for wine, juice, and vinegar production.
Classic dishes
American
- Waldorf salad — A creamy salad combining halved grapes with apple, celery, and walnuts.
- Roasted grapes with cheese — Grapes roasted until jammy and served warm over soft cheese as an appetizer.
- Chicken salad with grapes — Shredded chicken mixed with mayonnaise, celery, and halved grapes for sweetness.
- Ambrosia salad — A creamy fruit salad sometimes featuring halved grapes alongside citrus and coconut.
- Grape gelatin salad — A retro molded salad combining grapes with flavored gelatin and cream cheese.
- Frozen grape snack — Grapes frozen whole as a simple, popular cold treat.
Italian
- Focaccia con l'uva — A Tuscan sweet flatbread studded with whole wine grapes and baked until caramelized.
- Grape must pudding (mostarda) — Cooked grape must thickened into a sweet condiment, part of the broader mostarda tradition.
- Grape must syrup (vincotto) — Grapes cooked down into a thick, sweet syrup used as a finishing drizzle in Southern Italy.
French
- Pork tenderloin with grapes — Roasted pork served with pan-roasted grapes and a pan sauce built from their juices.
- Fruit and cheese board — Fresh grapes served alongside assorted cheeses as a classic pairing for their sweet-acid contrast.
Mediterranean
- Grape leaves (dolma) — Tender grapevine leaves stuffed with rice and herbs, though here the leaf rather than the fruit is used.
- Grape and goat cheese flatbread — Flatbread topped with roasted grapes, goat cheese, and honey.
Spanish
- Sangria — A chilled wine punch often garnished with whole grapes and other fresh fruit.
Middle Eastern
- Raisin-studded rice pilaf — Rice pilafs across the region often include raisins, grapes dried for concentrated sweetness.
- Raisin-stuffed baklava variations — Some regional baklava recipes include golden raisins among the nut filling for added sweetness.