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The redcurrant or red currant (''Ribes rubrum'') is a member of the genus '' Ribes'' in the gooseberry family. It is native to western Europe. The species is widely cultivated and has escaped into the wild in many regions.


Description

''Ribes rubrum'' is a deciduous shrub normally growing to tall, occasionally , with five-lobed
leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
arranged spirally on the stems. The flowers are inconspicuous yellow-green, in pendulous racemes, maturing into bright red translucent edible
berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, ras ...
about diameter, with 3–10 berries on each raceme. An established bush can produce of berries from mid- to late summer.


Phytochemicals

Redcurrant fruits are known for their tart flavor, a characteristic provided by a relatively high content of
organic acids An organic acid is an organic compound with acidic properties. The most common organic acids are the carboxylic acids, whose acidity is associated with their carboxyl group –COOH. Sulfonic acids, containing the group –SO2OH, are rel ...
and mixed
polyphenols Polyphenols () are a large family of naturally occurring organic compounds characterized by multiples of phenol units. They are abundant in plants and structurally diverse. Polyphenols include flavonoids, tannic acid, and ellagitannin, some of ...
. As many as 65 different phenolic compounds may contribute to the astringent properties of redcurrants, with these contents increasing during the last month of ripening. Twenty-five individual polyphenols and other nitrogen-containing phytochemicals in redcurrant juice have been isolated specifically with the astringent flavor profile sensed in the human tongue.


Cultivation

There are several other similar species native in Europe, Asia and North America, also with edible fruit. These include '' Ribes spicatum'' (northern Europe and northern Asia), '' Ribes alpinum'' (northern Europe), '' R. schlechtendalii'' (northeast Europe), '' R. multiflorum'' (southeast Europe), '' R. petraeum'' (southwest Europe) and '' R. triste'' (North America; Newfoundland to Alaska and southward in mountains). While ''Ribes rubrum'' is native to Europe, large berried cultivars of the redcurrant were first produced in Belgium and northern France in the 17th century. In modern times, numerous cultivars have been selected; some of these have escaped gardens and can be found in the wild across Europe and extending into Asia. The white currant is also a cultivar of ''R. rubrum''. Although it is a sweeter and
albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...
variant of the redcurrant, not a separate botanical species, it is sometimes marketed with names such as ''R. sativum'' or ''R. silvestre'', or sold as a different fruit. Currant bushes prefer partial to full sunlight and can grow in most types of soil. They are relatively low-maintenance plants and can also be used as ornamentation.


Cultivars

Many redcurrant and whitecurrant
cultivars A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...
are available for domestic cultivation from specialist growers. The following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's
Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...
: *"Jonkheer van Tets" *"Red Lake" *"Stanza" *"White Grape" (whitecurrant)


Uses


Nutrition

In a reference serving, redcurrants (or white) supply of
food energy Food energy is chemical energy that animals (including humans) derive from their food to sustain their metabolism, including their muscular activity. Most animals derive most of their energy from aerobic respiration, namely combining the carbohyd ...
and are a rich source of vitamin C, providing 49% of the Daily Value (DV, table). Vitamin K is the only other essential nutrient in significant content at 10% of DV (table).


Culinary

With maturity, the tart flavour of redcurrant fruit is slightly greater than its
blackcurrant The blackcurrant (''Ribes nigrum''), also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berries. It is native to temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, whe ...
relative, but with the same approximate sweetness. The white-fruited variant of redcurrant, often referred to as white currant, has the same tart flavour but with greater sweetness. Although frequently cultivated for jams and cooked preparations, much like the white currant, it is often served raw or as a simple accompaniment in salads, garnishes, or drinks when in season. In the United Kingdom, redcurrant jelly is a
condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish. A table condiment or table sauce is more specifically a condiment that is served separat ...
often served with
lamb Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...
, game meat including
venison Venison originally meant the meat of a game animal but now refers primarily to the meat of antlered ungulates such as elk or deer (or antelope in South Africa). Venison can be used to refer to any part of the animal, so long as it is edible, ...
, turkey and goose in a festive or Sunday roast. It is essentially a jam and is made in the same way, by adding the redcurrants to sugar, boiling, and straining. In France, the highly rarefied and hand-made
Bar-le-duc Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France. The lower, more modern and busier part of the town extends along a narrow valley, ...
or "Lorraine jelly" is a spreadable preparation traditionally made from white currants or alternatively redcurrants.T. K. Lim The pips are taken off by hand, originally by monks, with a goose feather, before cooking. In Scandinavia and Schleswig-Holstein, it is often used in
fruit soup Fruit soup is a soup prepared using fruit as a primary ingredient, and may be served warm or cold depending on the recipe. Some fruit soups use several varieties of fruit, and alcoholic beverages such as rum, sherry and kirsch (a fruit brandy) ma ...
s and summer puddings (
rødgrød Rødgrød (), rote Grütze (), or rode Grütt (), meaning "red groats", is a sweet fruit dish from Denmark and Northern Germany. The name of the dish in Danish features many of the elements that make Danish pronunciation difficult for non-native ...
, rote grütze or rode grütt). In Germany it is also used in combination with
custard Custard is a variety of culinary preparations based on sweetened milk, cheese, or cream cooked with egg or egg yolk to thicken it, and sometimes also flour, corn starch, or gelatin. Depending on the recipe, custard may vary in consistency fr ...
or
meringue Meringue (, ; ) is a type of dessert or candy, often associated with Swiss, French, Polish and Italian cuisines, traditionally made from whipped egg whites and sugar, and occasionally an acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar, or cream of ...
as a filling for tarts. In Linz, Austria, it is the most commonly used filling for the
Linzer torte The Linzer torte is a traditional Austrian pastry, a form of shortbread topped with fruit preserves and sliced nuts with a lattice design on top. It is named after the city of Linz, Austria. Linzer torte is a very short, crumbly pastry made o ...
. It can be enjoyed in its fresh state without the addition of sugar. In German-speaking areas, syrup or nectar derived from the redcurrant is added to soda water and enjoyed as a refreshing drink named ''Johannisbeerschorle''. It is so named because the redcurrants (''Johannisbeeren'', "John's berry" in German) are said to ripen first on St. John's Day, also known as
Midsummer Day Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe. The undivided Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr S ...
, June 24. In
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
, redcurrants are ubiquitous and used in jams, preserves, compotes and desserts. It is also used to make
kissel Kissel or kisel ( et, kissell, fi, kiisseli, Livonian: ''kīsõl'', ltg, keiseļs, lv, ķīselis, lt, kisielius, pl, kisiel, rus, кисель, r=kiselʼ, uk, кисiль, , , ) is a cold-solidified dish with the consistency of a thick ge ...
, a sweet healthy drink made from fresh berries or fruits (such as red currants,
cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...
,
cranberries Cranberries are a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs or trailing vines in the subgenus ''Oxycoccus'' of the genus ''Vaccinium''. In Britain, cranberry may refer to the native species ''Vaccinium oxycoccos'', while in North America, cranberry m ...
). The leaves have many uses in traditional medicine, such as making an infusion with
black tea Black tea, also translated to red tea in various East Asian languages, is a type of tea that is more oxidized than oolong, yellow, white and green teas. Black tea is generally stronger in flavour than other teas. All five types are made from ...
. Also the plants were cultivated in Russian monastery gardens in the 11th century.


See also

*
Jostaberry The jostaberry (''Ribes'' × ''nidigrolaria'') is a complex-cross fruit bush in the genus ''Ribes'', involving three original species, the blackcurrant '' R. nigrum'', the North American coastal black gooseberry '' R. divaricatum'', and the Euro ...


References


External links

* {{Authority control Berries Plants described in 1753 Ribes Flora of Europe Sour fruits