White currant | |
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Hybrid parentage | Ribes rubrum (red currant) |
Origin | Central and Eastern Europe |
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
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Energy | 234 kJ (56 kcal) |
13.8 g | |
Sugars | 7.37 g |
Dietary fiber | 4.3 g |
0.2 g | |
1.4 g | |
Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
Thiamine (B1) | 3% 0.04 mg |
Riboflavin (B2) | 4% 0.05 mg |
Niacin (B3) | 1% 0.1 mg |
Pantothenic acid (B5) | 1% 0.064 mg |
Vitamin B6 | 4% 0.07 mg |
Folate (B9) | 2% 8 μg |
Choline | 1% 7.6 mg |
Vitamin C | 46% 41 mg |
Vitamin E | 1% 0.1 mg |
Vitamin K | 9% 11 μg |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Calcium | 3% 33 mg |
Iron | 6% 1 mg |
Magnesium | 3% 13 mg |
Manganese | 8% 0.186 mg |
Phosphorus | 4% 44 mg |
Potassium | 9% 275 mg |
Sodium | 0% 1 mg |
Zinc | 2% 0.23 mg |
Other constituents | Quantity |
Water | 84 g |
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults. [1] |
The white currant or whitecurrant is a group of cultivars of the red currant ( Ribes rubrum ), a species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae, native to Europe.
It is sometimes mislabelled as Ribes glandulosum , [2] [3] [4] called the "skunk currant'" in the United States.
It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1 m (3 ft) tall and broad, with palmate leaves, and masses of spherical, edible fruit (berries) in summer. The white currant differs from the red currant only in the colour and flavour of these fruits, which are a translucent white and sweeter. [5]
Unlike their close relative the blackcurrant, red and white currants are cultivated for their ornamental value as well as their berries. [6]
Currant bushes grow best in partial to full sunlight and can be planted between November and March in well-drained, slightly neutral to acid soil. [5] They are considered cool-climate plants and fruit better in northern areas. They can also be grown in large containers. [5]
The firm and juicy fruit are usually harvested in summer. Whole trusses of fruits should be cut instead of individual fruit, [7] and then either used, or they can be stored in a fridge. They can also be bagged and frozen. [5]
Various forms are known including 'Blanka', [4] 'White Pearl', [8] and 'Versailles Blanche' (syn ‘White Versailles’). [5] [7] [9] 'Versailles Blanche' was first bred in France in 1843. [10]
The cultivars 'White Grape' and 'Blanka' have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [11] [12] There are also cultivars with yellow and pink fruit, called respectively 'yellow currants' and 'pink currants'. [7]
The bushes can suffer from pests such as gooseberry sawfly and birds. [5] The bushes are best grown in fruit cages for protection. [10]
White currant berries are slightly smaller and sweeter than red currants. When made into jams and jellies the result is normally pink. The white currant is actually a less pigmented cultivar of the red currant but is marketed as a different fruit. White currants are rarely specified in savoury cooking recipes compared with their red counterparts. They are often served raw and provide a sweetly tart flavor. [9] White currant preserves, jellies, wines [13] and syrups are also produced. [7] In particular, white currants are the classic ingredient in the highly regarded Bar-le-duc or Lorraine jelly although preparations made of red currants can also be found. [14]
White currant berries are 84% water, 14% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and contain negligible fat (table). In a 100 gram (3.5 oz) reference amount, white currant berries supply 56 calories, and are a rich source (49% of the Daily Value, DV) of vitamin C and a moderate source (10% DV) of vitamin K, with no other micronutrients in appreciable amounts (table).
Kiwifruit or Chinese gooseberry is the edible berry of several species of woody vines in the genus Actinidia. The most common cultivar group of kiwifruit is oval, about the size of a large hen's egg: 5–8 centimetres in length and 4.5–5.5 cm in diameter. It has a thin, fuzzy, fibrous, tart but edible light brown skin and light green or golden flesh with rows of tiny, black, edible seeds. The fruit has a soft texture with a sweet and unique flavour.
The bell pepper is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species Capsicum annuum. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange, green, white, chocolate, candy cane striped, and purple. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent chili varieties as "sweet peppers". While they are botanically fruits—classified as berries—they are commonly used as a vegetable ingredient or side dish. Other varieties of the genus Capsicum are categorized as chili peppers when they are cultivated for their pungency, including some varieties of Capsicum annuum.
Gooseberry is a common name for many species of Ribes, as well as a large number of plants of similar appearance. The berries of those in the genus Ribes are edible and may be green, orange, red, purple, yellow, white, or black.
The blackcurrant, 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, where it prefers damp fertile soils. It is widely cultivated both commercially and domestically.
Zante currants, Corinth raisins, Corinthian raisins or outside the United States simply currants, are raisins of the small, sweet, seedless grape cultivar Black Corinth. The name comes from the Anglo-French phrase "raisins de Corinthe" and the Ionian island of Zakynthos (Zante), which was once the major producer and exporter. It is not related to black, red or white currants, which are berries of shrubs in the genus Ribes and not usually prepared in dried form.
The raspberry is the edible fruit of a multitude of plant species in the genus Rubus of the rose family, most of which are in the subgenus Idaeobatus. The name also applies to these plants themselves. Raspberries are perennial with woody stems.
Ribes is a genus of about 200 known species of flowering plants, most of them native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The various species are known as currants or gooseberries, and some are cultivated for their edible fruit or as ornamental plants. Ribes is the only genus in the family Grossulariaceae.
Ribes triste, known as the northern redcurrant, swamp redcurrant, or wild redcurrant, is an Asian and North American shrub in the gooseberry family. It is widespread across Canada and the northern United States, as well as in eastern Asia.
The redcurrant or red currant 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.
Ribes uva-crispa, known as gooseberry or European gooseberry, is a species of flowering shrub in the currant family, Grossulariaceae. It is native to Europe, the Caucasus and northern Africa. Gooseberry bushes produce an edible fruit and are grown on both a commercial and domestic basis. Its native distribution is unclear, since it may have escaped from cultivation and become naturalized. For example, in Britain, some sources consider it to be a native, others to be an introduction. The species is also occasionally naturalized in scattered locations in North America.
Ribes sanguineum, the flowering currant, redflower currant, red-flowering currant, or red currant is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae, native to the western United States and Canada.
The tayberry is a cultivated shrub in the genus Rubus of the family Rosaceae patented in 1979 as a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry, and named after the River Tay in Scotland.
The jostaberry 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 European gooseberry R. uva-crispa. It is similar to Ribes × culverwellii, the jochelbeere, which is descended from just two of these species, R. nigrum and R. uva-crispa.
Ribes aureum, known by the common names golden currant, clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ribes native to North America.
Ribes glandulosum, the skunk currant, is a North American species of flowering plant in the currant family. It is widespread in Canada and is also found in parts of the United States.
Ribes speciosum is a species of flowering plant in the family Grossulariaceae, which includes the edible currants and gooseberries. It is a spiny deciduous shrub with spring-flowering, elongate red flowers that resemble fuchsias, though it is not closely related. Its common name is fuchsia-flowered gooseberry. It is native to central and southern California and Baja California, where it grows in the scrub and chaparral of the coastal mountain ranges.
Ribes montigenum is a species of currant known by the common names mountain gooseberry, alpine prickly currant, western prickly gooseberry, and gooseberry currant. It is native to western North America from Washington south to California and east as far as the Rocky Mountains, where it grows in high mountain habitat types in subalpine and alpine climates, such as forests and talus. It is a spreading shrub growing up to 1.5 meters tall, the branching stems covered in prickles and hairs and bearing 1 to 5 sharp spines at intervals.
Ribes roezlii is a North American species of gooseberry known by the common name Sierra gooseberry.
Ribes oxyacanthoides is a species of flowering plant in the gooseberry family known by the common name Canadian gooseberry. Its various subspecies have common names of their own. It is native to North America, where it occurs in Alaska through much of Canada and the western and north-central United States.
Cryptomyzus ribis is a species of true bug found in Europe and described by the Swedish taxonomist, Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The larvae feed on the leaves of currant bushes, especially red currant, creating abnormal plant growths, known as galls.