Asian Online Recipes (Vegetables Guide)
Guide to Vegatables

Currants

About Currants

Currants Nutritional Profile
Energy value (calories per serving): Low
Protein: Moderate

Fat: Low
Saturated fat: Low

Cholesterol: None

Carbohydrates: High

Fiber: Moderate

Sodium: Low
Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin C
Major mineral contribution: Potassium

About the Nutrients in Currants
Fresh currants have moderate amounts of dietary fiber and are an excellent source of vitamin C. Black currants, the berries used to make creme de cassis, are more nutritious than red currants. NOTE: Dried "currants" are grapes, not currants.
 

One-half cup fresh black currants has 1.34 g dietary fiber and 101 mg vitamin C (168 percent of the RDA). One-half cup fresh red currants has 1.9 g dietary fiber and 23 mg vitamin C (38 percent of the RDA). One-half cup gooseberries has 1.42 g dietary fiber and 20.8 mg vitamin C (35 percent of the RDA).

 

Buying Currants
Look for: Plump, firm, well-colored currants. Gooseberries, which are members of the same species as currants, should have a slight golden blush.


Avoid: Sticky packages of currants or berries, moldy fruit, or fruit with lots of stems and leaves.
 

Storing Currants
Refrigerate ripe currants or gooseberries and use them within a day or so. Dried currants can be stored at room temperature in an air- and moisture-proof package.
 

Preparing Currants
Wash fresh currants or gooseberries under cold running water, pull off stems and leaves, and drain the berries.
 

What Happens When You Cook Currants
When fresh currants and gooseberries are heated, the water under the skin expands; if you cook them long enough, the berries will eventually burst.
 

How Other Kinds of Processing Affect Currants
Canning. The heat of canning destroys vitamin C; canned gooseberries have only about one-third the vitamin C of fresh gooseberries.

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