Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Entertainment | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Fistful of health

Currants are a rich source of antioxidants that may prevent the cellular wear-and-tear. They are rich in Vitamin C, iron and dietary fibre

BLACK & SWEET Black currant ice cream

"I admire lolling on a lawn by a water-lilied pond to eat white currants and see goldfish... There is not hope for that— one is sure to get into some mess before evening."

— John Keats, (1819 )

In A Letter To His Sister

Currants, white, black and red, are native to the high latitudes of Asia, Europe and North America.

The word currant is a misnomer that derives from Corinth, the ancient Greek city that supplied raisins to the rest Europe.

Since currants are about the same colour and size as dried grapes, the name stuck.

Red currants come in bright red shiny clusters and they are sourer than black currants.

Jams `n' jellies

They are cultivated mainly for jams, jellies and juices. Sweet and sour currant sauces are an accompaniment for some meat dishes.

In Scandinavia, red currants are used in fruit soups and puddings.

The sweeter black currant finds use in fruit juices, ice cream, desserts, pies, cakes and other baked foods.

However, the currants found in most scones and cakes in India are actually raisins-dried grapes.

The French make a black brandy from currants.

About 100 gm of fresh currants contain up to 55 Calorie, with plenty of Vitamin C in tow. The currant is a close relative of the gooseberry (alma) and nearly matches it botanical cousin's gargantuan Vitamin C stores.

And 25 gm is all it takes to meet the daily Vitamin C requirement. During World War II, when cultivated fresh fruit were scarce, blackcurrants formed one of the main Vitamin C sources of Western Europe. Currants also have plenty of bioflavonoids, which are antioxidants that may prevent the cellular wear-and-tear caused by free radicals.

Nearly 85 percent of a fresh currant's weight is water, and naturally, dried currants-the ones found in baked foods, contain more calories. About 100 gm of dried currants contain around 280 Calorie, and they do not contain even a fraction of the Vitamin C content of fresh currants.

However, dried currants do contain appreciable amounts of iron and dietary fibre.

Black currant seeds are a rich source of an essential fatty acid.

RAJIV.M

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail