In what manner are they dried?

The common way of drying grapes for raisins, is to tie two or three bunches of them together while yet on the vine, and dip them into a lye made of hot wood-ashes, mixed with a little olive oil.  This makes them shrink and wrinkle:  after this they are cut from the branches which supported them, but left on the vine for three or four days, separated on sticks, in an upright position, to dry at leisure.  Different modes, however, are adopted, according to the quality of the grape.  The commonest kinds are dried in hot ovens, but the best way is that in which the grapes are cut when fully ripe, and dried by the heat of the sun, on a floor of hard earth or stone.

     Lye, a liquor made from wood-ashes; of great use in
     medicine, bleaching, sugar works, &c.

What are Figs?

A soft, luscious fruit, the produce of the fig-tree.  The best figs are brought from Turkey, but they are also imported from Italy, Spain, and the southern part of France.  The islands of the Archipelago yield an inferior sort in great abundance.  In this country they are sometimes planted in a warm situation in gardens, but, being difficult to ripen, they do not arrive at perfection.  The figs sent from abroad are dried by the heat of the sun, or in furnaces for the purpose.

     Luscious, sweet to excess, cloying.

What is Rice?

A useful and nutritious grain, cultivated in immense quantities in India, China, and most eastern countries; in the West Indies, Central America, and the United States; and in southern Europe.  It forms the principal food of the people of eastern and southern Asia, and is more extensively consumed than any other species of grain, not even excepting wheat.

     Nutritious, wholesome, good for food.

Does it not require a great deal of moisture?

Yes, it is usually planted in moist soils, and near rivers, where the ground can be overflowed after it is come up.  The Chinese water their rice-fields by means of movable mills, placed as occasion requires, upon any part of the banks of a river; the water is raised in buckets to a proper height, and afterwards conveyed in channels to the destined places.

What is Sugar?

A sweet, agreeable substance, manufactured chiefly from the Sugar Cane,[1] a native of the East and West Indies, South America and the South Sea Islands; it is much cultivated in all tropical countries.  The earliest authentic accounts of sugar, are about the time of the Crusades,[2] when it appears to have been purchased from the Saracens, and imported into Europe.

[Footnote 1:  Most of the sugar in Europe is made from beets.] [Footnote 2:  See Chapter XVII., article Navigation.]

     Authentic, true, certain.

     Crusades, holy wars.

     Saracens, Turks or Arabs.

How is it prepared?