Herat is the third largest province in Afghanistan, located in the western part of the country. The area is well known for the excellent quality of its raisins and for the numerous grape varieties - more than 120 - going back almost five hundred years according to the Arabic calendar. Before the Soviet-Afghan War started in the late 1970s, Afghanistan had accounted for 60% of the world raisin market. This dried fruit was the country's largest crop. Today there are 72 types of grapes registered, seven of a superior quality. With the help of the University of Herat, the Raisin of Herat Presidium has analyzed and classified 27 grape varieties according to their shape, color, consistency and use.
The Fakhery cultivar (Abjosh Raisin) is unique to Herat and Kandahar. The fresh grapes come in two colors: white and pale pink. Originally they were eaten more as table grapes, but today the popularity of this high-quality raisin is growing. The grape-training system is the same method that has been used for five centuries. It is well suited to the geographical and climatic features of Herat. The grafts or cuttings are planted in trenches 20 centimeters deep (called Jui) stretching east to west, which are filled with 30-to-40 centimeters of water. Farmers use their toes to push the cuttings into the muddy soil. The vine will continue to grow at this angle. The southern edge of the trench gradually disappears and the soil forms a wall pointing toward the south, making a right-angled triangle against which the vine will lean. Only natural fertilizers and pesticides - such as sulphur - are occasionally used, and only in small quantities.
August and September are very sunny and hot months that bring out a very high sugar percentage in the grapes of up to 28% just before harvest. The harvest begins in late September and lasts three months.
Before starting the drying phase the bunches are dropped into boiling water for a few seconds in order to slightly crack the skin without damaging the inside of the fruit. The process is called Abjosh, from which the raisin gets its name. This speeds up the time needed for the fruit to dry. The grapes are then placed in the sun for up to six days. Unlike other raisins dried in direct sunlight, this variety remains light in color turning golden and remains tender to the touch and in the mouth. The raisin is large and elongated, the seeds still inside the dried fruit.


The Presidium
The aim of the Presidium is to identify the best grape varieties, preserve the Abjosh Raisin that is unique to Herat, and preserve the traditional grape-training system. While there are many raisin producers in this area, most have stopped producing unique local varieties and grow more common varieties that have a lower quality. Over the course of 30 years of war, Afghanistan has lost its place as the leading producer of high-quality and very distinct raisins in the world.
The Raisin of Herat Presidium is starting with five producers. A production protocol will be written to ensure a consistently high-quality product. The next step will be to improve the local and international markets for the raisins by working with the producers.
Slow Food works with the University of Herat and the Perennial Horticulture Development Project (PHDP) based in Kabul. The aim of the PHDP is to increase agricultural income from perennial horticultural development by training farmers, collecting germ plasm, renovating demonstration nurseries and restructuring the Ministry of Agriculture. These partners work with Slow food to expand and strengthen the Abjosh Raisin of Herat Presidium, identify and categorize grape varieties and other foods to be catalogued in the Ark of Taste, as well as identifying potential future presidia.

Production area
Herat Province

Project Partners
University of Herat, Perennial Horticulture Development Project, University of Florence