TH6 JOURNAL 



OF 



T'fie department of M^ncufture. 



Vol. VII. Part 1. nth January, 1909. 



VALENCIA RALSIN8 OR LEXIAS. 



F. de Castella, Government Viticiilturist. 



Though the pudding raisins so largely consumed in English speaking 

 countries are usually known as Valencias, very few are grown in the 

 neighbourhood of the city of that name. The small seaport town of 

 Denia, some 40 miles to the south, in the extreme north of the province 

 of Alicante and within a few miles of the boundary between it and 

 Valencia, is the real headquarters of the industry. It is in its neigh- 

 bourhood that the great bulk of these raisins are grown, dried and packed. 

 Denia ships annually some 25,000 tons as against Valencia's 1,000 to 

 1,500. The Port of Gandia, about half way between the two, and 

 chiefly celebrated for its oranges, tomatoes and onions, also contributes 

 a couple of thousand tons. 



The term Lexia is perhaps more logical, indicating, as it does, the 

 mode of manufacture. It is a corruption of the Spanish word Lejia 

 (pronounced Le-he-a) which means lye, referring to the alkaline solution 

 into which the grapes are dipped before being dried, for the raisins of 

 this part of Spain are almost exclusively Pasas de Lejia (lye raisins), as 

 distinguished from Pa.sas de Sol (sun raisins) such as those of Malaga. 

 Lexias are sometimes also termed Pasas Caldadas (boiled raisins) for 

 the lye rn which they are dipf)ed is boiling hot. 



We have in the Denia raisin industry another striking example of 

 that specialization to which I have several times had occasion to refer 

 and which is so noticeable in the viticultural regions of Europe. Denia 

 is the home of the pudding raisin, just as Malaga is that of 

 the dessert rasin. Though both appear to be made from the 

 same " Moscatel " grape, identical with our Gordo Blanco, it 

 seems as difficult to turn out a first class pudding raisin at Malaga as 

 it is to dry a high grade dessert muscatel at Denia. Experiments in both 

 directions have been made on a large scale. When phylloxera ravaged 

 Malaga nearly 30 years ago and her production suffered in consequence, 

 Denia, thinking her sister's misfortune might prove to be her oppor- 

 tunity, set to work to produce dessert raisins. Drying grounds or 

 toldos were built, exactly similar to^ those of Malaga, and thev are still 

 to be seen about the district where they are known as Seceros de Pasas 

 de Malaga. They are now, for the greater part, unused, the prodution 



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