Currants

Name: Currant (dried), also called Zante currant — the dried fruit of the Black Corinth grape, Vitis vinifera, a small, dark, seedless variety. Despite the shared name, this is a dried grape, not the true currant berry (red, black, or white currant) that grows on Ribes shrubs — the two are unrelated plants that only share an English name.

Description

The Black Corinth is one of the smallest grape varieties grown for drying, producing tiny, nearly seedless berries with a notably concentrated, tart-sweet flavour compared with ordinary raisin grapes. It takes its common name from the region around Corinth, Greece, where it has been cultivated and dried for centuries, and where much of the world's supply is still produced today, alongside other Mediterranean growing areas.

Like other raisin grapes, Black Corinth grapes are traditionally sun-dried, which shrinks them further and intensifies both their sweetness and acidity. The English word “currant” itself derives from this fruit, not from the Ribes berry — it traces back to Anglo-Norman terms for “raisins of Corinth,” and the berry shrub was named after the dried grape by resemblance, not the other way around.

Main nutrition value

Per 100g, dried Zante currants:

Dried currants carry the highest potassium of the dried-grape family, at 777mg per 100g, along with the most iron (1.88mg) and useful amounts of copper and manganese, plus a modest amount of fiber.

How best to be consumed

Their small size makes it easy to eat far more currants than intended, so measuring out a small handful (around 25-30g) rather than pouring freely is worth doing, especially in baking where they're added by the spoonful. Currants are traditionally used in fruitcakes, scones, and mincemeat, where their concentrated sweet-tart flavour holds up well against spices and long baking times.

Overconsumption could cause…

With over 60g of sugar per 100g, dried currants are easy to overeat calorie- and sugar-wise if treated like fresh fruit rather than a concentrated snack, which matters most for anyone watching blood sugar or weight. Their sticky texture also lingers on teeth, so frequent snacking without a rinse or brush afterward raises the risk of dental cavities over time.

GroupsDried FruitsGrape family (Vitaceae)Low fatLow sodiumRich in potassiumDried

Related foodsRaisinsSultanasDried LonganDried DatesDried LycheeDried Persimmon

U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Currants, zante, dried (FDC ID 171724), 100g portion: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171724/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — raisin: https://www.britannica.com/topic/raisin