Sultanas

Name: Sultana, also called golden raisin — a dried grape made from the same pale-yellow seedless grape used for most raisins, Thompson Seedless (also known as Sultanina), Vitis vinifera, but processed so it dries to a light golden colour instead of dark brown.

Description

The Thompson Seedless grape is the world's most widely planted raisin grape, grown extensively in California and, under local names, across the Mediterranean and Middle East. Whether the same grape becomes a dark raisin or a sultana comes down entirely to how it is handled before and during drying, not a different variety.

To make sultanas, the grapes are typically dipped briefly in a dilute lye solution and exposed to sulfur dioxide, which stops the skin from oxidising and darkening the way an untreated, sun-dried raisin does; the fruit is then dried quickly, sometimes mechanically, yielding a plumper, lighter-coloured, and generally sweeter-tasting dried grape. “Sultana” is the everyday name for this golden raisin in British and Commonwealth English, while American usage tends to call the same product a golden raisin.

Main nutrition value

Per 100g, dried sultanas (golden raisins):

Like other dried grapes, sultanas are richest in potassium — 746mg per 100g — and provide a solid amount of vitamin B-6 along with some fiber and iron, though noticeably less iron than the darker, untreated raisin.

How best to be consumed

Sultanas are calorie- and sugar-dense per 100g in the same way as other dried grapes, so a small handful (25-30g) is a more sensible serving than a cupful. They work well stirred into rice pilafs, curries, and baked goods, or mixed into trail mixes and granola, where their milder, sweeter flavour compared with dark raisins is often preferred.

Overconsumption could cause…

The concentrated natural sugars mean overeating sultanas by the cupful can meaningfully raise sugar and calorie intake, and their sticky texture makes them prone to sticking to teeth and contributing to cavities with frequent snacking. Because sultanas are typically treated with sulfur dioxide during processing, they can also trigger reactions in people who are sensitive to sulfites, including some individuals with asthma.

GroupsDried FruitsGrape family (Vitaceae)Low sodiumRich in potassiumDried

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U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Raisins, golden, seedless (FDC ID 168164), 100g portion: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168164/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — raisin: https://www.britannica.com/topic/raisin