Chances are you have had “Peruvian Delicacies" but did not know it. The intense heat in San Joaquin Valley in 1873 almost ruined an entire crop but one farmer took his shriveled grapes to San Francisco where one shopkeeper sold them as “Peruvian Delicacies” (raisins). They were a big hit so the following year grapes were picked and set in the sun to dry.

By 1912 growers had formed the California Associated Raisin Company which later became Sun-Maid Raisin Growers of California. The company employed young girls to work as packers. Three years later these employees were sent to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco to hand out samples of raisins.

On the day of the parade, Lorraine Collett Petersen was sitting in the sun drying her hair. Since she wanted to keep her curls in place, she donned her mother’s red sunbonnet and was recognized by people from the company as one of their employees. California Associated Raisin Company officials liked the new look and required the other female employees to wear red sunbonnets when handing out raisins. Lorraine was chosen to have her portrait painted by a San Francisco artist. She earned $15 a week at the time. She sat for her portrait in the morning for two weeks and worked at the exposition in the afternoon. Mrs. Petersen was given the portrait but returned it and her sunbonnet to the president of the Sun-Maid Growers of California before she died in 1983 at the age of 90. They are both displayed at the factory in Kingsburg, California.

“Peruvian Delicacies” were once thought to be a ruined crop but make a handy snack. Lorraine is smiling at me from the 51 ounce jar of the chocolate covered variety my brother-in-law bought for me. Like their plain cousin the California raisin this kind is also good in cookies. It is like having chocolate chips and raisins rolled into one.

It is amazing what you can discover from a cookbook. That is where I found this information. Cooking Up a Storm is published by House of White Birches. Next week is National Library Week maybe we should visit the library.
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