Friday's Unscientific Poll: Raisins

[nanila]

Poll #22519 Y RAISINS Y

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: Just the Poll Creator, participants: 70

This is generally how I feel about raisins in things:

I do not understand why you feel the need to put raisins in my muesli/scone/cookie/salad. They were acceptable without raisins. If I wanted raisins I would buy a box of raisins.
33 (48.5%)

Raisins make a wonderful addition to many foods. Yay, raisins!
35 (51.5%)

I have the following additions to make regarding my feelings about raisins:

Comments

[cmcmck]

Although golden sultanas are better still! :o)

[nanila]

It seems you're in the majority re: sultanas being superior to raisins!

[gwendraith]

I use them in cooking, especially curry, but I do prefer to use sultanas as they plump up better :)

[nanila]

I don't think I've ever put either into a curry!

[angrboda]

I have no objections to raisins in stuff. Raisins totally on their own, however, are frightfully cloying and entirely the wrong sort of WAY too sweet.

[nanila]

I think my objection mostly arises from being surprised by stealth raisins. If I know they're going to be there, as with pain au raisin, that is fine. But raisins in my carrot cake make me :(.

[lilysea]

I don't like raisins from a taste/flavour perspective,

but also the most common preservative used on raisins is sulphites, which is a migraine trigger and aggravates Irritable Bowel Syndrome :(

Sadly, this is true of other dried fruit, too. :(

[My beloved sweet-but-tart dried apricots! *sob*]

[cmcmck]

Although you can pick up unbuggered about with dried apricots which are black rather than sulphurous yellow- that apparently puts a lot of people off because everyone knows that dried apricots are sort of yellowy orange, don't they?

[lilysea]

Although you can pick up unbuggered about with dried apricots which are black rather than sulphurous yellow

Huh. I did not know that. Thanks! ^_^

[cmcmck]

The important thing is that they TASTE exactly the same if not better! :o)

[antisoppist]

I am divided because there are some things raisins are meant to be in, like scones, and some things raisins are not meant to be in, like muesli and your poll does not allow for this.

Yesterday I had a pizza with olives and capers, and was asked if I wanted added anchovies, which I naturally did, but was surprised to find it also came with automatic sultanas, which was very wrong of it.

[cmcmck]

Given my part Italian ancestry, I know there are certain things that should NEVER be found on a pizza and sultanas is one of those things!

Everything else you mention is genuinely traditional, but sultanas? Really?

[antisoppist]

It was a Pizza Express Veneziana. There were pine nuts and red onion, tomato and mozzarella as well as all the lovely salty things and apart from the sultanas it would have been my ideal pizza.

[nanila]

I think this poll has clarified for me that it's not exactly raisins in things that offends me. It's when I find raisins in things where I wasn't expecting them. No More Stealth Raisins Please is going to be the name of my first album

[redsixwing]

I like raisins quite a bit, but find golden sultanas too sweet for most things. The best raisins are the ones in curry, adding a juicy-sweet bite to the spicy sauce.

A box of raisins is in dire danger if left in proximity to me.

[nanila]

I have never added raisins to a curry. I am mystified by this!

[ironed_orchid]

It's one of the great mysteries of British cuisine, as foreigners we will never be able to understand the appeal.

[hamsterwoman]

There is only one thing I find actively improved by the addition of raisins, and it's oatmeal-raisin cookies.

In most other contexts, I'm either I'm mostly to raisins but would prefer them to be some other kind of dried berry, like cranberry or blueberry/bilberry, (this is true of salads and rice dishes, as well as scones/bagels), or would definitely prefer them not to be there at all (e.g. muesli).

I'm more benevolently disposed towards golden sultanas, but maybe because they tend to pop up less in contexts where I would prefer to avoid raisins.

[nanila]

This poll and responses (very strong responses! Nothing lukewarm in that text box) has clarified fir me that it is Undeclared Raisins which offend my sensibilities.

I agree that most other dried berries are superior to raisins.

[hamsterwoman]

Objecting to undeclared raisins makes a lot of sense to me!

[azurelunatic]

Raisins have appropriate places, like trail mix and cheap-fruit cereal.

Oatmeal raisin cookies that are not clearly labeled are misleading and a betrayal.

[nanila]

Agreed! Undeclared Raisins are an offence.

[evilsusan]

Raisins have appropriate places, like the trash bin, and un-bought at the store.

[nanila]

Evilsusan: not a raisin fan. Noted!

[liseuse]

I love raisins but I don't agree with them in salad. Muesli, granola, biscuits - those all should have raisins. Salad should not.

[nanila]

The flavour doesn't go with what I consider a "salad palate". too sweet!

I have OPINIONS

[ironed_orchid]

I enjoy sultanas and currents and other dried fruits, but raisins are nasty.

The only place they are remotely acceptable is in a dark fruit cake or a fruit hot cross bun, and in both examples, if there were a version with all the fruits except raisins, it would be superior.

Re: I have OPINIONS

[nanila]

I would like to try a hit cross bun with Other Dried Fruit one day.

Re: I have OPINIONS

[liseuse]

This (https://oliviapotts.wordpress.com/2015/03/29/something-to-prove-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-the-bun/) is my go-to hot cross bun recipe and it contains no raisins! Now, I like raisins, but I don't think they work in a hot cross bun because they don't have enough juicy resilience. This recipe calls for sultanas (or other dried fruit of your choosing) which I think is a much more sensible option.