Currant Affairs

These small berries are behind the flavor ‘purple’ throughout most of Europe, but they're almost unknown in the United States. Anney and Lauren dig into the curious case of currants.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hello, and welcome to Savor production of I Heart Radio.
I'm Annie Reese and I'm Lauren Bolgabam, and today we
have an episode for you about currents, yes, which I
literally knew nothing about. Really, I think if you had
asked me before I did this research, I would have
vaguely thought something about jelly maybe, Okay, all right, what

(00:35):
I what what about? What about cassisse? No? No, really no.
And I recently had a friend come and she was
dropping something off and she was asking me like, what
are you researching? And I told her that we were
doing this current research. She didn't know if they were um,

(00:58):
And I told her all about like the street, which
is really interesting about why us know about it, and
she she was like, what are you talking. I haven't
even told you about chestnuts? Um? Yeah. That you know
how it is to be in a friend group loring

(01:19):
and we've got these random facts and people just back
away slowly. Sometimes what happened? Uh huh. Yeah. Sometimes you
go a little bit too hard about whatever it is,
and people are like, oh, I'm gonna extricate myself. I'm
gonna go look for the ranch dip. Yeah like that. Yeah, yes,

(01:41):
but I did find this research really really interesting. Yeah,
this is a this is a fun story. Um and uh.
I swear that you have like seen the word casis
out there somewhere, especially in your European travels. Um. Uh,
maybe in a liquor section or like a beer section somewhere. Um.

(02:04):
I you're you're looking at me like, nah, you're probably right,
but nothing is coming to mind. Okay, all right, I
believe that that is true. I was thinking about currents
because of hot Cross buns. It is the kind of
like Eastery season right now. Currents are often an ingredient
in a hot Cross bun. Um, it's not. It's not

(02:27):
just an annoying song. It's also a food item, yes, um,
which is something else I didn't know until a couple
of years ago, because you know, we try to look
up you know, Easter is coming up, Easter foods, and
it came up. Oh you're like, what the heck is that? Okay,
I didn't know about it. I'm glad to know about

(02:48):
it now, uh huh uh huh um cool. I have
relatively little experience with currents, but but a currently more
than you. So we're yeah batting a thousand? Is that
what they say, sure, here we are baseball also something

(03:10):
I have very little knowledge of. It's baseball season. We're
timely again. Yes, well, I guess this really does bring
us to our question. I think it really does. Currents.

(03:30):
What are they? Well, Currents are a type of berry
that right are not known very well in the United States,
but as a juice and a flavoring are as popular
as grape or orange throughout Europe. Um. They come in
a range of colors and kind of specific like like
micro flavors, I suppose, but the general vibe is a

(03:51):
sweet tart with a with a hint of bitter and
a sort of like savory note similar to what to
what like grapes or tomatoes have. Uh, there's sort of
like a like a small continental raisin. Who continental race? Okay,

(04:12):
they're like a they're like a cool afternoon with a
hot sun on you. Oh that sounds nice. Yeah. And
then and then writing that down, I realized that this
segment has become sort of the the Laurence synesthesia. The
segment I like this segment a fan cool cool? Heck?

(04:40):
All right, yeah, currents um genus name ribus. Uh. There
are three main varieties that we talk about when we
talk about currents black currants, red currants, and white currents,
though those colors and pink variations can occur among a
whole mess of different species within Ribus um. And there
are also varieties with in the genus that are often

(05:01):
green or yellow and are more commonly called gooseberries um
and are sometimes sorted into their own genus or sub
genus um. Right, you might have encountered the French term
for black current cassis. And interestingly to me anyway, Ribus
is the only genus unless you separate out gooseberries within
the family Um Grassulariasia, which I wanted to say because

(05:25):
I just wanted to say grass alias out loud. That is,
that is spectacular. I love it pretty fun um uh
Ribus species are generally uh. These these small shrubs that
grow to about a meter three feet tall, sometimes up
to twice that gooseberry varieties have thorns. They all flower

(05:46):
with these clusters of small flowers that, when pollinated, will
grow into these small like pearl to pea sized berries um,
usually seedless, arranging in color from translucent white to mustard
yellow to pink to ruby red to purple black, um
and glossy they're really pretty little berries. Um. They look

(06:07):
a bit like tiny grapes, and there is some historical
and or animal logical confusion with grapes, but they are
not closely related to grapes. Um. But they are tart
and tangy and right sort of like rich savory and
can be a little bit better and have varying levels
of sweetness. The berries can be sold fresh, but are

(06:27):
perhaps more often found processed in any number of ways
um as a dried fruit, preserves, jams, jellies, syrups, or juice,
as a flavoring for alcohol, including liqueurs, wine, ciders, or
fruity beers like lambix, or as candies, teas, et cetera.
The leaves are also sometimes used in tea. UH. The

(06:47):
berries are used as a compote in any number of
desserts like a like a filling for pastries and cakes.
Swirl and ice cream also provides like a rich fruity
tang and sauces for savory dishes. Um a lot of
like like rich meat dishes can have some have some
good good good current involvement already. The puns are oh

(07:09):
my goodness, they are yes, that all sounds delicious, though
well what about the nutrition. Of course, it depends on
your application, but currents by themselves are pretty good for you. Um,
those bright colors mean that they've got a lot of
great micronutrients of vitamins, minerals, any oxidants, that kind of stuff. Um.
They have a particularly high amount of vitamin C, calcium

(07:31):
and potassium, plus a decent amount of iron and protein
for a fruit very low and fat, so like pair
with a fat to help keep you going. Currents are
also being investigated for their antimicrobial properties. Um. Powdered current
is sometimes used in the cosmetic industry for that purpose.
And uh cent Currents do tend to be mixed with
sugar for many applications because they can be pretty strongly

(07:54):
stringent um and also strongly bitter depending um you know.
Like like sorry to tell you, but like once you
bake them into a yeast roll or brew them into
an alcohol, they're no longer a health food. Yeah, yeah,
all right, we do have some numbers for you, Oh

(08:18):
we do. Europe produces one of the world's currents, right.
Russia and Poland have been the top producers, comprising together
almost of global production. UM. Other major producers have included
Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Total production is something like
a six d and fifty thousand metric tons a year.

(08:40):
Question mark, that's the number I found m hm. As
all black Currents grown in Britain, we're destined for the
Ribina bottling factory. Yeah, that's a brand of juice based
to drinks UM in the UK and beyond UM and
two thirds of Black Currents produced across all of Europe
towards juice UM, which can of course go towards other products.

(09:03):
M hm. There is UM a Guinness record for the
largest Eccles cake UM. Eccles cake being a flaky pastry
surrounding often a black current filling. UM. But the Guinness
record went to this cake that was made in Manchester

(09:24):
in two eight. It weighed fifty six point two kilos
that's a hundred and twenty three pounds fourteen ounces. That
is a large pastry. UM. It took eight bakers three
hours to bake and was portioned out to about four
hundred people. UM, and hats off indeed to both the
bakers and also the Manchester Evening News, which reported on

(09:46):
the entry as being an attempt to break the current record. Yep.
See you. But there are annual black current festiv volts
in New Zealand and France right around Midsummer, which is
a kind of harvest season. There's also a black current

(10:07):
museum in Burgundy, France called the Casisium. Oh, I love
it right, I love it right. They host some forty
visitors a year. Well hopefully one day one of those
visitors will be as According to one source, though less

(10:28):
than point one percent of Americans have eaten a current. Uh.
And there is a reason for that, as we've alluded
to throughout. Yes, and we are going to get into
that history right after we get back from a quick
break for a word from our sponsors, and we're back.

(10:52):
Thank you sponsor, Yes, thank you. So the current, or
at least the ancestor of it, is believed to have
originated in persh though they are native to North America,
Europe and Asia, so possibly simultaneous events happening. Um and
historical name confusion. You know, we love it. Historians think

(11:14):
the word current comes from the ancient Greek city of Corinth,
a city that was known for its production of zante currents,
which were these small dry grapes. This is this is
part of the whole confusion exactly. Yes, And throughout history,
currents have gone by coreans, currents, corns and bastard corns.

(11:40):
Bastard in plant anomalogy meaning of an unusual size or
shape for that plant, or like a false version of
that plant. So like, I'm pretty sure what had happened
here was that there were grapes in Corinth and then
there was this other grape looking thing, like a false

(12:02):
grape or a bastard grape. Uh. That is a current
that the name Corinth got tied up in or something.
I'm I'm not entirely sure. Confusion all the way down, um,
but but right. Also, this reminded me when I was
when I was writing out the definition of like bastard

(12:24):
in terms of a bastard plant. Um like a like
how it reminded me of our conversation with um with
Alan muskett Um during our mushroom tour in Asheville Um
is the he is the mushroom man of asheville Um,
and he was taking us on this lovely little field
tour and we found some some this plant that's often

(12:47):
called a false strawberry because it looks like a little strawberry.
But it's it's a little unfair, isn't it to call
it a false strawberry? It is its own true thing,
you know. Yeah, that would be hurtful. That is another
that's like a children's book, the false straw verry that
could or something. Yeah. Also, I wonder what our pal

(13:09):
Allan thinks about these recent news stories about how mushrooms
could communicate with each other. Oh I bet, I bet
he has some hot takes, any number of hot takes,
and probably a song about it. Oh that was such
a fun time. It really strange but fun indeed. Um, okay. Currents, yes, yes.

(13:34):
By the time the Renaissance had taken hold in Europe,
known cultivars of currents existed in gardens and farms. Herbalist
documents from the sixteen hundreds described the believed medicinal properties
of currents. One of the first herbal is to write
about currents was French author Rulius in fifteen thirty six,
who recommended them as border plants and appetizers, which I

(13:55):
really appreciated. Yeah, yeah, both both. Many other of similar
mentions were published in the following years, indicating that currents
were fairly common throughout much of Europe. Though perhaps not
widely known by the general public. Gerard of Gerard's Herball,
which we've mentioned plenty of times, published in the late
fifteen hundreds, wasn't currents. He didn't. He wasn't their biggest fan. Uh.

(14:19):
He wrote that black currents were quote not worth planting,
and small red currents were of no better esteem. Oh
oh no, no better esteem. Dang. Speaking of a hot take.

(14:42):
In eighteen twenty, someone described red and white currents as
popular for desserts, um that they were admired for their
quote transparent beauty and their medicinal qualities as well. Um,
here's a quote. They may be used with advantage to
allay thirst and most feebrow complaints, to lessen an increased
secrete a bile, and to correct a putrid and scorbutic

(15:03):
state of fluids, especially in sanguine temperaments. But in constitutions
of a contrary kind, they are apt to occasion flatulency
and indigestion. Contrary kind. I know what you're saying. We
all pick up what you're putting down. Um. Around this time,

(15:23):
currents were also being used in wines and juices. Another
person in this timeframe described parents as quote of stinking
and somewhat loathing savor and they can they can be strong.
They're certain. They certainly punch. Uh, they punch above their
weight class? Is that is that of our sports metaphors

(15:48):
are hitting them out of the park as Yeah, no,
it's talking about the park a heck, yes, I'm going
to chalk this one up to a success for US.
Ship records indicate colonists brought currents with them to North

(16:10):
America during the seventeen hundreds, though Native Americans harvested them
from the wild, and they used them not only as
a food stuff but medicinally and Ford dies. In seventeen seventy,
Long Island's Prince Nursery became the first North American nursery
to offer currents for sale UM that we know of.
Current production in Canada and the US grew in the

(16:31):
late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds, and they became
pretty common or at least in certain swaws of these
areas during the seventeen hundreds and eighteen hundreds. This is
when folks started breeding and selecting programs for currents UM
and through this we got a lot of cultivated cultivars
we still have today. UM When the New York Agricultural

(16:52):
Experiment Station was established in eighteen eighty two in Geneva,
it launched an active current breeding program and as a
result of all of this, twelve thousand acres of currents
were being grown in the US and a lot of
those acres were in New York. By the een eighties,
white currents were being grown as a hobby, at least
all the way in California. And here we come to

(17:16):
the twist in the story, because things took a turn
for the worst in the eighteen nineties for the current
um when infected pine seedlings were imported into North America
and the current crop was hit hard with a fungus
that causes white pine blister rust and actually has a
really interesting, slash terrifying life cycle. But um it had

(17:41):
been reported this This fungus had been reported throughout the
northeastern US by nineteen eleven. To combat this, the US
government instituted a plant quarantine on the importation and cultivation
of any ribous plants. On top of that, the Civilian
Conservation Corps or the ce ce CE launched in aradication effort.
During the Great Depression, over eleven thousand people were employed

(18:05):
over a year long period with the goal of eradicating
ribus in national forest. This effort lasted until the nineteen
forties UM, though the federal quarantine wasn't lifted until nineteen
six and some states like Massachusetts still have rules in
place around importing and growing currents. One of the reasons

(18:25):
this was such a big deal was because it threatened
the lucrative lumber industry. Uh yeah, so so ribus. Uh
species are carriers for this fungus and UM, and the
timber industry and then the pine industry specifically were so
important in North America that the United States was just like, well,

(18:50):
screw a current, Yeah, we need this spine. Um. Eventually,
what happened that led to the reversal of these laws
was that varietals were developed that are not vectors for
the fungus. Yes. Um. And if if you're like us
and are curious, there is a document that I found

(19:12):
that it's just like rules by state, because some states
still have some rules about importing and growing currents to
this day. Um. But when the federal band was lifted,
the interest in growing just wasn't there anymore. In North America.
In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in
currents here, something experts think is in part due to nostalgia. Yeah. Yeah.

(19:37):
But interestingly, as you said, Lauren, something sort of the
opposite happened in Europe. They had long been importing black
currents and they chose that over white pines in the
face of this fungus. Yeah. Yeah, they right, they did
exactly the opposite. They were like, screw a white pine, like,
we need our currents. Um Currents were um just as
an example, as of nineteen o nine, an important enough

(20:00):
crop in the United Kingdom that they were one of
just twenty common fruits UM listed in Mrs Beaton's Everyday
Cookery Book as like a like this is when like
these are the like twenty most popular fruits, and this
is when you find them the freshest and the best
in the market. And this is the average price. Wow. Yeah, wow,

(20:20):
that really is the apposite. During World War Two, doctors
in England prescribed a cordial of black currants and water
mixed together as a vitamin C supplement for children to
prevent scurvy. It was called Robina, first launched in nineteen eight.
Uh and yeah, still popular. While the yeah this I

(20:41):
found very interesting. While the flavor of the purple skittle
is grape in the US, outside of the US it's
often black current. Yeah. I didn't know this, but but
like purple candy, when you encounter a purple candy in
the United States, it's pretty much going to be grape flavor. UM,

(21:02):
almost always going to be great. UM. Maybe BlackBerry or
black raspberry, but pretty pretty much always great. Um. Outside
of the US, it's pretty much always black current. It's fascinating,
fascinating yeah. Um. Meanwhile, advancements in mechanical harvesting during the

(21:25):
nineties made production much easier, too much easier because it
led to over production in some parts of Europe UM,
which is which has been even doubt in the intervening years. UM.
Although growers are currently kind of watching out for climate
change and trying to figure out what all of that,
what exciting new things that is going to have in
store for production. UM. And of course, with a Ukraine

(21:49):
and Russia being two of the top producers in the world,
I'm sure that that there are a lot of people
out there who depend on black currents for for various
other production OSSes that are watching that like hawks, so yeah, yeah,
and Uh, Lauren and I were talking about this before

(22:11):
we started, but this was a really interesting case of
um realizing how our Google searches are so American centric. Yeah. Yeah,
like I guess, I'm I guess I'm used to being upset.
I'm I'm used to being disappointed when I'm searching for
something from from South Asia and it's hard for me

(22:32):
to come up with English language results. But um, but
the amount of digging I had to do to get
good results about this very popular European fruit was shocking
to me. I was like, Oh, it's not just it's
not just English language centric, like our little corner of
the Internet. It's very American centric. Um, so it's weird.

(22:58):
It's weird. But that big said, I mean, as always, listeners,
if you can supplement our knowledge any like products that
you love that are black current or current base. Yeah,
anything that you have like a like a really personal
nostalgia for if you've grown these if like yeah, if

(23:19):
like your hedges outside our currents, like like like let
us know if you have a very strong opinion about
um Eccles cake versus Chorli cake, I want to hear
about it. Chorley cake is is usually also a current filling,
but it has a short bread crust rather than a
flaky crust. So yes, I want to know all about

(23:40):
that too. Whoa. In the meantime, I guess that's what
we have to say about currents for now. It is.
We do have some listener mail for you, though, and
we are going to get into that as soon as
we get back from one more quick break for a
word from our sponsors, they we're back. Thank you sponsored, Yes,

(24:06):
thank you, We're back with sweet and sour. I got
to try one of these because I it's hard to
emulate a flavor in this listener mailbit. If I haven't
had it right, I know, I know, we'll have to.

(24:28):
We'll add it to our list. Oh gosh, this is
getting wilder and wilder. It's going to be quite the time.
Oh oh dear um No, this listener mail involves some
some singing. I don't know if I'm going to sing,
It's alright, find out when we get to that section.

(24:53):
After listening to the fund set one episode, I visited
the tea public Store for the first time. Yeah. While
I currently have this Sunday I'm in Love shirt on order,
can I suggest eat a vegetable for the next shirt.
If you're doing a Brussels Spouts episode, I love them
baked crispy with a good balsamic vinegar. By the way,
I might I suggest the fun Polker title roll out

(25:15):
the Brussels. Oh my goodness, I've come up with the
following alternate titles for recent episodes. Bear with my humor,
please you belong among the Sunflowers, My musical taste, Mozzarella
which you from one of the Bad Old Bugs, Bunny
Guard Dunes from my misspent youth rom com prop the bag.

(25:38):
The next comment is for Annie. If you want to
mark the important fiftie episode of Criminalia, please please please
consider publishing a book of the fabulous drinks you have
concocted for the show. This is because at the Hooray
for Unmasking party, my daughter through I s Preston to
service trying to concoct a rum lime juice pomegranate punch
that another listener of the podcast was trying to remember.

(26:00):
After four or five attempts, we came up with something
very tasty. But I acquired a buzz, which meant when
someone broke out the karaoke machine, I became dangerous. It's
been a while since the jelly donut episode, but I
had perfected a filk song for it, and this became
the perfect time to display it, to the delight of
the guests and to my daughter's horror. Oh my goodness,

(26:22):
m h. I don't know if I can sing it.
I'm too embarrassed. But imagine the tune of Ghostbusters. Okay,
all right, here we go, now, partissery in your neighborhood.
Who are you gonna call jam Busters? What's in the
grocery store just don't look good? Who are you gonna
call jam Busters? We deliver them fresh to you. Muffins

(26:45):
in Danish too. Don't be caught without no no jelly
stick cravings that running through your head? Who are you
gonna call jam Busters? You want a honey crueler before
you go to bed? Who are you gonna call jam Busters?
Bring them right to your door, and you're gonna want
more and more. Thank you, better call jam Busters. I

(27:06):
was very proud of myself, except my daughter made me
sit down with a cup of black coffee and took
away the karaoke machine. That's amazing. I love it. Oh wow, yeah, yeah,
that's that is a thing of many beauties. Yes, I love.

(27:29):
I have never ever performed a song of my own
writing at a karaoke time. No, I'm like, well, oh, dear,
you've opened the door of that's abilities for me. Okay,
all right, I also have a karaoke machine, Lauren, I

(27:49):
know you do. That's what I that's why experiencing such excitement. Sure,
that is one word for the emotion that I'm experiencing.
Definitely the correct word. Yeah, and all these alternate titles
are great. Yeah. I'm sharing any cocktails, uh, any time

(28:15):
that I've created, And I appreciate that you called them
amazing or whatever nice word to you use. Fabulous, thank you.
I will take it. Oh heck, oh how delightful. Um.
David wrote, Hello, Savorita's bad savor Senorita mash Up just

(28:37):
listened to your amazing instant coffee episode, and I was shocked. Shocked.
I say that Annie did not talk about the Bookman
episode of Seinfeld when discussing instant coffee. I love that episode. Also, Lauren,
really appreciate the Douglas Adams reference about instant coffee. You
can never have too many of those. Ea, hoopie fruits. Um,
this also brought back a bitter sweet memory of my grandfather.

(29:00):
They're drinking instant coffee after he had a stroke. It
was a way for him to keep his independence and
make his own coffee without all the messing around with
a coffee maker. My mom, who was his caregiver for
a while, would buy up tasters choice for him and
he would have that every morning, something he could control
and feel like he didn't have to ask for help.
Thanks for bringing that memory back for me as he

(29:20):
passed away several years ago. Oh yeah, that is Oh
that is that is actually really really really wonderful. I
hadn't thought about that as a as a accessibility um uh,
as as a as a way for for people who
are having a hard time doing uh doing those like
normal activities to write to get to continue part of

(29:43):
a part of their daily daily routine. Yeah. Yeah, that's
an excellent point. And also a lot of you wrote
in about instant coffee and having these memories, strong memories
associated with people in your life based on instant coffee,
which is you know, we talked about that all the time,
and it's lovely that we have these food connections and

(30:04):
memories nostalgia that can come back to you and instant
Coffee seems to be one that just hit home for
a lot of people. Yeah. Um, also I did fall
down the rabbit hole of Anthony Stewart head UMK Giles
tasters choice commercials. Um I tweeted a few of those videos.

(30:28):
So if you, uh, if you need to, if you
need to find them, you can. I mean you can't
on your own. I have faith in you. But I
didn't realize when I brought it up in the episode
how big of a deal they were. Um, they were
actually quite a big deal. I think that there were
twelve like sequential commercials in the UK and then maybe

(30:52):
thirteen in the US featuring these two characters, this dude
and this lady who like get together have this like
kind of steam me romance over this instant coffee, and
like it's a whole like it's a whole drama. Like
it's a whole like soap opera. Like there's one like
episode where like he goes there like apartment neighbors and

(31:16):
like he like like like knocks on her door and
this fellow answers the door and he's like oh oh
oh ah oh And and then and then later in
the commercial. It's like a forty second commercial, but they
but they cram a lot in there. Like later in
the commercial she's like, oh, did you meet my brother?

(31:36):
He answered the door this morning? Like oh wow. And
then they made them do American accents in the In
the American commercials anyway, there was like merchandise about this couple,
like it was a whole thing. Dang, that is a

(31:57):
whole thing. Yeah, you sent me one. But now I'm
gonna have to I'm gonna have to look this up.
Wow all right? Um? And also, yes, I did miss
the mention the Seinfeld reference. Oh right, right, okay, can
you tell us about this reference? Annie? I love this
episode two and it's a great episode. It's an episode

(32:18):
where Jerry finds out he has a book that's overdue
for like thirty years. So the library police Mr. Bookman
shows at his apartment and he just like he has
these great dry monologues where he just is like constantly
every time Jerry tries to say something, he's like, well
listen to me, buddy boy, I didn't grow up in

(32:38):
that age and just goes on and on and on
and on. But he has a whole bit about and
this was like a season it was early, like season two.
Maybe okay, but it's very good. I recommend it. I
recommend it. Oh, I'll try to do better. I'll try
to do better. You're only one part us nanny. It's true,

(33:03):
so much I can do. But yes, Thank you to
both of these listeners for writing to us. Um If
you would like to write to us, you can our
emails hello at savor pod dot com. We're also on
the aforementioned social media. You can find us on Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram at savor pod, and we do hope to

(33:24):
hear from you. Savor is production of I Heart Radio.
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