Black Zabeeb — Seeded Black Raisins (Dried Black Grapes), Uzbek Style

Zabeeb (زبيب) is simply the Arabic word for raisins — and this is the black kind: large, glossy dried black grapes with their seeds left in, the style Turkish dried-fruit shops sell as Uzbek grape. The grapes come from Central Asian vineyards, are dried naturally rather than candied, and reach you with no added sugar, oil, or preservatives — the ingredient list is one line: black grapes.

The seed is the point. Whole-dried black raisins keep a denser, jammier flesh and a deeper grape-molasses flavor than seedless supermarket raisins, with a light crunch at the center. Many people who grew up with black zabeeb eat the seed along with the fruit; if you prefer not to, it slips out easily.

How they're used:

• Eaten by the handful with walnuts or almonds — the classic dried-fruit-shop pairing
• Steeped in hot water to make naqe' al-zabib, the traditional raisin infusion drink
• Folded into rice pilafs the Central Asian way (Uzbek plov is famous for its black raisins)
• Simmered into compotes, or chopped into oatmeal, yogurt, and baking

Like all raisins, black zabeeb is naturally concentrated: dried grapes run roughly 299 kcal per 100 g, mostly natural fruit sugars, with about 4 g of fiber.

Choose 100 g, 250 g, or 500 g. Store in a cool, dry place; transfer to an airtight container after opening.