Currant grape

Discover the distinct differences and flavors between currants, raisins, and sultanas, as well as some of their culinary uses. Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking. Pick up any baking recipe where dried fruits are involved and there is no way of avoiding the three currant grape of raisins, currants, and sultanas.

These three are used extensively in traditional British and Irish cakes and puddings. Are they simply the same thing but with just a different colored skin? They are, in fact, very different and each brings their qualities to the baking party. Plus, if you add to the issue that different countries use different names, it can become even more confusing. Firstly, the currants talked about here are a dried fruit and should not be confused with soft fruit currants such as black currants. The currants mentioned here are the dark, black currants popular in cakes. The grapes were originally cultivated in the south of Greece and more specifically, the island of Zante, hence the name Zante currant, used in the United States.

The name currant comes from the ancient city of Corinth. Other names for currants are Zante currants, Corinth raisins, or Corinthian raisins. In the UK and Ireland, they are simply called currants. Raisins are dried white Moscatel grapes.

When they are dried the result is a dark, dried fruit much like a currant, making it dense in texture and bursting with a sweet flavor. The main producers of the Moscatel grapes are the United States, Turkey, Greece, and Australia. The raisins can hold the flavor making the finished dish even tastier. A sultana is a dried white grape, but of the seedless variety. Sultanas are golden in color and tend to be much plumper, sweeter, and altogether juicier than other raisins. Turkey is the main producer of sultanas. Also known as golden raisins, sultanas will absorb other flavors, but not as well as regular raisins.

Get daily tips and expert advice to help you take your cooking skills to the next level. Note: This word is often used in compounds. Common shrubs and herbs are: saskatoon, red-osier dogwood, raspberry, wild rose, currants and bracted honeysuckle, wild sarsaparilla, hairy lungwort, asters, and peavine. Let us apply that to currants. There were no appreciable imports of currants from these two countries. Almonds and golden raisins or zante currants are usually added.