Black Currant

Black currant is the small, dark, glossy berry of Ribes nigrum, a shrub native to central and northern Europe and parts of Asia, valued for its tart flavor and notably high vitamin C content. The berries are rarely eaten raw because of their sharp, astringent taste, and are instead cooked into jams, syrups, the French liqueur creme de cassis, and juice drinks such as Ribena. Commercial black currant growing was historically restricted in parts of the United States because the plant can host white pine blister rust, a fungal disease harmful to pine trees.