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Grapes in the Quran
With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful.
And in the earth, there are tracts of land neighboring each other, and gardens of grapes, and farms and date palms, some having twin trunks and some having a single one.
(Although) all of them are irrigated with the same water, We make some of them better than others in taste. Surely, in that, there are signs for a people who understand. (Qur’an 13:4) Translation by MUFTI TAQI USMANI
INTERPRETATION
In fact, if we think about it. They are planted in the same soil, watered the same, but the taste is different. The same goes for dates. The land is the same, the water is the same, but the taste of the fruit is not the same. So who does this? Of course, Allah.
Grapes as a healthy food
The healing properties of grapes are many. In particular, it contains about 300 compounds with anti-light, antioxidant, tonic, and other properties. In addition to the well-known pectin substances and organic acids, grapes contain vitamins C, A, B1, B2, B5, B6, B9, E, PP, P, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper.
It is possible to talk at length about the beneficial and healing properties of grapes.
Let’s shorten the sentence and try it ourselves. That is, visit Uzbekistan where you can eat the grapes by the bunch.
Grapes in Uzbekistan
For many centuries Uzbekistan grape growing has a history flourishing, declining, destruction, and revival periods. Despite all barriers, Uzbek people kept growing grapes as a nutritious food. Owing to the long warm period of the year over 37 grape varieties are grown in Uzbekistan. That is why Uzbekistan actively exports excellent sorts of grapes, raisins, and different juice. Oltiariq region has been some of the leaders in cultivating and storing fresh grapes. Grapes ripened in August month are kept all the way till around Spring of the next year using generations-old techniques. Some of the varieties from the Oltiariq region are Husseini and Kelinbarmoq which translates as Bridefingers for their elongated shape. Don’t be surprised when see grapes stored in their vines during the cold months of January in Oltiariq of the Fergana region.
Soyaki, Bakhtiari, Husayni (Golden raisins or sultanas) have been cultivated in Central Asia since ancient times. Many grape varieties were brought to Uzbekistan from abroad. After the Soviet authorities came to the region, Turkestanskii Krai (Russian Turkestan) was supposed to become a powerful raw materials source and produce great revenue. So, new European warm-weather grape varieties were imported there.
Most of the vineyards are in Fergana, Samarkand, Surkhandarya, and Tashkent Provinces. Grapes are also grown in Khorezm, Jizzakh, Bukhara and Andijan Provinces and much less in Karakalpakstan.
There are “Shirin”, “Gulyakandoz”, “Aleatico” and “Hungarian Muscat” in Samarkand Province. The most grown grape variety in Tashkent Province is “White Muskat” and Kashkadarya is famous with “Kishmish Botir”.
While we can continue about the varieties of grapes in Uzbekistan, it is better to taste them and see them for yourself in abundance. There is a proverb, it is better to see and taste once than to hear a thousand times.
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