Currants are one of the most familiar berries to us, but they keep many secrets, the discovery of which delights biologists, doctors, and other people too. Here are the most interesting facts about currants.
Fact #1: Close relatives
Currant is the younger sister of Gooseberry, and both come from the order Saxifragaceae, which includes peonies, money tree, saxifrage and bergenia.
Fact #2: Abundant and Ubiquitous
Found on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Scientists have counted more than 150 species of wild currants. In Russia, wild currants can be found everywhere, but more often in the Caucasus and Eastern Siberia.
Fact No. 3: the name was given by the Arabs
In Latin, currants are called "Ribes". The origin of this name is interesting. The ancient Arabs consumed a lot of rhubarb, which they called "ribas". In 711, the Arabs conquered Spain and, to their horror, did not find their favorite rhubarb there, and without it, food seemed tasteless. Then they paid attention to the red berries, which had a pleasant sour taste, vaguely reminiscent of the taste of rhubarb, and they also began to call them “ribas”. The name stuck, and now all currants officially have this name.
Fact No. 4: and the river too
In ancient Russian epics you can find the name of the river “Smorodinovka”. Some historians believe that the Moscow River was previously called this, since a lot of this tasty berry grew along its banks, which residents actively used for food.
Fact #5: Monastery Berry
Currants used to be called the monastery berry, since they were grown in almost all monasteries and were widely used by monks for both food and medicinal purposes. There have been references to the cultivation of currants in the monasteries of Novgorod and Pskov in chronicles since the 11th century. And only after 5 centuries they began to grow currants in local areas.
Fact #6: colorful fruits
There are several types of currants based on the color of the berries: black, white, red. However, there are many more of them. There are yellow currants, purple, orange and even green. Berries differ not only in color, but also in taste and content of nutrients. Particularly interesting in this regard are the so-called “American” currants, which have a black skin color of the berries and their internal contents, reminiscent of semolina porridge in appearance and very sweet.
Fact No. 7: Unripe is healthier!
How many times have adults, driving children away from a currant bush, said: “Why are you picking off its green ones! Wait until it’s ripe!” It turned out that unripe currants contain 4 times more active vitamin C, which protects against infectious diseases and strengthens the immune system. As they ripen, the amount of vitamins in the berries decreases and becomes low when overripe.
Fact #8: Benefits vary depending on the weather.
In order for currants to accumulate many useful substances, they need sun, but not heat. Therefore, the most useful currants grow in harsh climates in fine summers, and the least useful substances are in southern currants grown in rainy, cloudy (especially in June-July) summers.
Fact #9: Leaves are also good for you.
In Ancient Rus', people necessarily prepared berries and leaves of berry plants for the winter - they dried them. Currants were no exception. In terms of their benefits, currant leaves are comparable to its berries. They contain a large amount of vitamin C: one tablespoon of ground dried currant leaves contains as much as a whole lemon. This is true only for blackcurrant leaves collected immediately after the plant blooms. After harvesting the berries, vitamin C in the leaves becomes 10 times less.
Fact #10: Vitamin B5
Currants are a source of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), which is responsible for immunity, resistance to allergies, and the beauty of skin and hair. 100 grams of black currant berries contain 0.4 mg. The daily requirement for an adult is 10 mg of vitamin B5 per day. Excess natural pantothenic acid is not deposited in the body, and there is no overdose.
Fact #11: For the mind and heart
Tea made from fresh or dried blackcurrant leaves improves vascular function, reduces the level of low-density lipoproteins, cholesterol, has a venotonic effect and improves brain function, including memory. Therefore, tea from black currant leaves can be drunk not only by adults, but also by children to improve their academic performance.
Fact #12: dye
Dye identical to natural “Black currant” is an unnatural dye, and therefore does not have any beneficial properties and can even cause harm to the body.
Fact No. 13: pickled
Blackcurrant leaves, placed by good housewives in jars of pickles, not only add beauty, but also enrich the contents with vitamin C and phenolic compounds that prevent spoilage of the product.
Fact No. 14: from the stench
The Russian name for currants comes from the word “stench” - “smell”, since the aroma of currants, especially black ones, is pronounced. This is explained simply: it is black currant that contains a large amount of essential oils that have a characteristic strong odor.
Fact No. 15: there are contraindications
Fact #16: Fights radiation
Currants, along with viburnum and honeysuckle, are powerful agents that remove radioisotopes from the human body, as they contain large amounts of pectin and ascorbic acid. Scientists discovered this after the Chernobyl accident. Now currants are recommended for nutrition for those who work in hazardous industries, including those with radiation.
Fact #17: Low calories
Black currants contain only 60 calories per 100 grams, and red currants contain even less – 50. So, during the currant season, beauties who watch their figure can enjoy the delicious berry without fear.
Fact #18: Freeze and dry
How to preserve the beneficial properties of currants? It is best to freeze the berries - in this case, the beneficial properties are not lost; in second place is drying in a natural way, with which all the benefits of the berries will also remain. But if the berries are dried in the oven, then vitamin C will be significantly destroyed. You can mash the currants, mix them with sugar and store them in the refrigerator. With this method, the loss of beneficial properties is also low.
Fact No. 19: every age has its own currant
It is believed that black currants are more suitable for children to eat, red ones for adults, and white ones for old people. This makes sense, since the composition of currants of different colors is different.
Fact #20: Beautiful medono With
Currant is a honey plant, and its honey has medicinal and preventive properties.
Black, red and white currants belong to the same gooseberry family. Black currants are more of a wild crop, while red and white currants are cultivated hybrids. I present to you interesting facts about currants. Approximately 50-60% of the world's currants are grown and harvested in Russia.
Red currants contain less carbohydrates, which reduces their calorie content, which is equal to 50 kilocalories. And 100 grams of black currant contains 60 kilocalories.
Red currant contains many acids, vitamin C (responsible for the elasticity of blood vessels), vitamin A (responsible for vision and skin renewal), B vitamins (especially B5 and B12). Also increasing its value is the presence of coarse, indigestible fibers and pectin, which turns into a jelly-like mass in the intestines and removes many harmful substances from the body.
But the content of anthocyanins in currants - these are powerful antioxidants - makes this product simply invaluable. Anthocyanins have the ability to reduce oxidative reactions. After all, it is oxidized cholesterol that can destroy the walls of blood vessels and form atherosclerotic plaques. And reducing its oxidation reduces activity and reduces its harmful effects.
Since currants contain a lot of acids, their consumption should be reduced for those who suffer from high acidity of gastric juice.
Red currants practically do not cause allergic reactions.
How to choose the right currants?
Choose those berries that have less damage, dirt and so that all the berries are on the branches, this is a guarantee of the freshness of the product.
How to properly store currants?
It is better to store freshly picked currants on a branch in a suspended state, this greatly extends their shelf life. Should be stored in a cool place protected from light.
The berries can also be washed and dried in an oven at a temperature of 45-50 degrees (if the temperature is higher, this will lead to the destruction of vitamin C), and then stored in a glass container. In this form, the berries can be stored for up to six months.
You can freeze currants. To do this, place the washed berries on a baking sheet and place in the freezer. With this option, currants do not lose any vitamins.
When defrosting, it is better to first place it in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
Currants can also be stored in the form of jelly. It needs to be wiped, and the released pectin will contribute to the formation of a thick mass. This way it can be stored for a month.
Any heat treatment leads to the loss of all vitamins and nutrients contained in currants. Therefore, it is better to consume it fresh.
Currant is a popular berry in Russia. Both black and red are respected; their bush has its rightful place in the country. But a curious summer resident may be interested in some facts about her that can be used to his advantage.
We all know that jam, syrups, marmalade, liqueurs, and liqueurs are made from this berry. But what other good properties does it have?
Of course, its harvest is harvested everywhere, but the most vitamins are contained in those berries that grew in harsh climatic conditions. It turns out that Siberia is one of the most favorable locations for this. Summer residents of Siberia, allocate more space for this berry bush!
The Vigorous variety boasts the largest berries. The weight of one can reach up to 8 grams, and it was bred in Gorno-Altaisk.
From the Slavic language Currant is an odorous, strong and pungent odor, even a stench. But it’s true: this culture has a unique unforgettable aroma. Abroad, the word comes from "Ribas", which means "sour". Apparently the one who gave the first name was unlucky to run into sour berries.
In general, if you are a fan of this berry, then you are convinced that it is not in vain. And if you are still thinking about how much space to give to currants on your plot, then know - more.
black currant(lat. Ribes nigrum) is a shrub of the Gooseberry family, capable of reaching a height of 2 meters. Its name comes from the Old Russian word “currant”, meaning a strong smell. It is interesting that the berries, leaves, and branches of black currants smell, while its “relatives” - white and red currants - are practically devoid of aroma.
In addition to their wonderful taste, black currant berries are very healthy: they have a high content of vitamins A, C, PP, essential oils and many microelements, including sodium, magnesium, calcium and iron.
Compared to other berry crops, currants are quite “young” - they are “only” about 500 years old. Neither the ancient Romans nor the ancient Greeks knew about currants. The shrub with tonic, sour berries was first noticed by Arabs in conquered Spain in the 15th century. The berries and leaves of the bush were used as medicine at that time.
Almost at the same time, black currant became known in Rus', where it was called the “stinking bush,” that is, odorous. Just like in Europe, currants were used in folk medicine, as well as in preparing vegetables for the winter.
Black currant is a storehouse of useful substances: it contains organic acids (citric and malic), sugars (glucose and fructose), tannins and pectin substances, essential oil, and flavonoids. Among the vitamins contained in the berry (B, P, C, K, PP, provitamin A - carotene), especially noteworthy is vitamin C, of which black currant contains up to 400 mg per 100 g of weight. To meet the daily requirement for this vitamin, it is enough to eat only 20-30 berries. It is worth keeping in mind that already 2 weeks after the currant fruits are fully ripe, the loss of vitamin C in them can reach 70%.
The mineral composition of black currant berries is rich in elements such as sodium (32 mg per 100 g of weight), calcium (36 mg), potassium (372 mg), magnesium (35 mg), phosphorus (33 mg) and iron (1.3 mg). ).
Currant berries are good both fresh and processed. All kinds of syrups, jellies, juices are prepared from them, jams, jelly and marshmallows are made, as well as original sauces for fried or baked meat. Blackcurrant tinctures, wines and liqueurs are tasty and tart. Fragrant berries are often included in yoghurts; they are used for fillings in sweets, pies and other baked goods.
Blackcurrant leaves are also used in cooking. They are added as a spice when pickling mushrooms and vegetables, for preparing sugar-lowering dietary salads, and added to tea and sauces.
The leaves and fruits of black currant have a disinfectant effect, and also have diaphoretic, diuretic and fixative properties. Blackcurrant can prevent vision problems, the development of diabetes, and is an excellent remedy for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease and problems with the cardiovascular system. This berry is especially useful for progressive atherosclerosis, as well as for diseases of the kidneys, liver and respiratory tract. Currant juice in reasonable doses helps increase hemoglobin in the blood.
Black currant is often included in creams and lotions that smooth and tone the skin. In addition, puree from these berries can be used to strengthen nails by rubbing it into the skin around the nail and into the nail plate itself. Currants also help get rid of freckles, age spots and make your skin lighter.
Due to the high content of vitamin K and phenolic compounds, black currants are contraindicated for thrombophlebitis. People suffering from stomach and duodenal ulcers and gastritis should not eat the berry either. After suffering a heart attack or stroke, you should not drink currant juice. This drink can also cause an allergic reaction in children and people prone to allergies. Some experts also believe that during pregnancy it is better to avoid using currant juice for medicinal purposes.
Did you know that red currants used to be grown only for their beneficial properties? Then it was considered an exclusively medicinal plant, but now it can rarely be found on market shelves. Let's remember this berry and find out what benefits red currants have for the body and what diseases they are used for.
The benefits of red currant
Red currants contain many beneficial and nutritious substances. It contains organic, fatty, unsaturated and saturated acids. Red currant is considered the leader in the content of malic and succinic acids. In addition to them, it is rich in vitamins A, B, C and E.
Of the minerals, it contains potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, calcium and sodium. The berry also contains antioxidants, dietary fiber, pectin and nitrogenous substances. Thanks to such a diverse chemical composition, it is still used to treat various diseases.
Interesting facts about red currants:
Virtually odorless;
The composition contains few biologically active substances;
It contains 4-5 times less ascorbic acid than black currant;
Previously considered a monastery berry;
Contains sugar in the form of fructose and sucrose;
There are 19 varieties of red currants.
Red currants are used in medicine and cooking. Jam and jelly are made from it, juice is squeezed out, added to desserts, and decoctions and tinctures are made.
Currants have anti-inflammatory, diuretic, laxative, and antipyretic properties. It normalizes metabolism, stimulates appetite, relieves nausea and heartburn. Red currant juice restores strength, energizes and quenches thirst. Therefore, it is useful to use it in the hot season or during heavy training.
For urolithiasis, currant juice removes uric acid salts from the body. It also helps with stomach and intestinal disorders (constipation). Currant berries normalize and improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system. They cleanse blood vessels and prevent the development of stroke and heart attack.
Red currants are used to prevent cancer. Due to its low sugar content, it can be consumed by people with diabetes. It practically does not cause allergic reactions. And because of its low calorie content, it is used for preparing dietary dishes.
