Benefits
Grapes are nutrition powerhouses. They are packed with vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that plays key roles in immune system health, connective tissue development, and wound healing. They’re also a source of vitamin K, which helps with blood clotting and maintaining healthy bones; as well as potassium, which is important kidney and heart function, muscle contraction, and nerve signal transmission.A 151 g grapes also contains the following nutrients:
104 calories1.09g protein
0.24g fat
27.33g Carbohydrate
1.4g fiber
23.37g sugars
288 mg potassium
4.8mg vitamin C
22 micrograms vitamin K
Symbolism
From fruit to wine, the grapes are called "the nectar of the Gods" and are a great symbol of inner transformation.Al-Nâboulsi tells us that the white grape is always positive for the spiritual and material life, that it promises great resources, is a symbol of joy, fertility, patience and festivities.
The grapevine appearing symbolizes solidity, protection, reward, prosperity, spirituality or sensuality or sexuality. A grapevine can also represent ambitious ideas and hopes, and moving towards a period of rebirth, well-being and intense love.
The plant that illustrates Samuel’s message to the Israelites is the grapevine. The grapevine is one of the seven plants that God told the Israelites would be available to them in the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 8:8).
A Bit of History
Grape plants, fruit-bearing vines from the Vitis genus of the Vitaceae family, have been with us so long that fossilized leaves, stems, and seeds have been found in Northern hemisphere deposits from the Neogene and Paleogene periods, which cover a stretch of time between 2.6 million and 65 million years ago. Their colorful globe-like, juicy, sugary berries are what we call grapes, whether they come in blue, purple, red, pink, green, or amber.
Egyptian hieroglyphs detail the culture of grapes and wine in 2440 BC. The Phoenicians transported varieties of wine to Greece, Rome and southern France before 600 BC, and the Romans spread grapes throughout Europe, as well as North Africa, and eventually in North America. The grapes moved to the Far East through traders in Persia and India.
Grape wine was so important to the ancient Greeks and Romans that they worshipped a god of wine and pleasure, whom they called Dionysus and Bacchus, respectively.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, the role of wine in the Christian mass helped grape cultivation flourish in Europe.