Caloric content and chemical composition of white currant. Useful properties, harm and contraindications to the use of ripe berries. How fruits are eaten and what they are cooked with. Food recipes plus interesting facts.
Contraindications and harm of white currant
When eating this berry, you should remember about small precautions associated with its composition. Currants can cause allergies, this applies to all plant species, sometimes even its leaves.
Absolute contraindications for white currant:
- Gastritis or peptic ulcer … If you suffer from one of the diseases mentioned, the acidic environment of many fruits will negatively affect the condition of the damaged organ. The same goes for currants. The amount of berries allowed for tasting may vary depending on the degree of development of the disease. However, the best choice would be to abandon it in favor of something more harmless.
- Blood problems and poor blood clotting … It should be borne in mind that white (like red) currants slightly thin the blood, impairing its ability to form blood clots. For a healthy person, this feature does not threaten anything. However, in case of illness or the use of blood-thinning drugs, you should be extremely careful with the choice of food.
If you are taking any medications related to improving your health, check with your doctor to find out if white currant contraindications apply to you.
How is white currant eaten?
Considering the unconditional healthfulness of the plant, not only its fruits are consumed. Leaves and even branches of white currant can be present in your culinary masterpieces, including teas, pickles, sauces, and various preservation.
How to eat white currants to get the most benefit? Fresh berries, mashed potatoes and juices, consumed immediately, are the most preferred options. They should not be cooked in metal dishes, stored outdoors or in direct sunlight - all this destroys vitamins and nutrients. Even when heated to 30 degrees, some of the healing properties of white currant are lost.
Before eating raw currant berries, you definitely need to wash well, especially if the bush has been sprayed with insecticides. In order to preserve the gifts of nature for a long time, currant berries are frozen, dried or covered with sugar - this allows them not to be processed at high temperatures, from which useful substances decompose.
White currant leaves are valued on a par with plant berries. They are added to tea and medicinal herbal preparations. A sprig of a plant can be put in a solution for pickling fruits and vegetables, not only for taste, but also in order to reliably preserve the preservation, because all parts of the shrub have antibacterial properties. That is why in folk medicine it is believed that chewing leaves from a currant bush helps to cope with periodontal disease and heal any wounds that appear in the oral cavity.
Currants are widely used in fruit soups and summer puddings in Scandinavia, they are eaten with custard or meringue in the vastness of Germany, they are used as a pie filling. White currant jam with preserved whole berries is the most commonly used filling in Linzer cakes, a traditional treat from the Austrian town of the same name. And in the German hinterland, currant syrup or nectar is added to sparkling water (or beer) to enjoy a refreshing drink with the long name Johannisbeerenschorle.
Currant jelly is used as a traditional lamb condiment for a festive Sunday roast in the United Kingdom. In France, there is a traditional sweet dish - jelly "Bar-le-duc", which is made from white currant, orange juice and spices, and then served with fried ham. The berry mentioned is a popular ingredient in chilled fruit drinks in Mexico.
White currant food and drink recipes
Sweets, pastries, sauces and salads with sweet and sour berries are not only tasty, but also healthy and extremely exotic in taste. The currant filling has a slightly gelatinous property due to the pectin content. And glucose is caramelized, enhancing the natural sweetness with a pleasant refreshing sourness.
Delicious recipes with white currant:
- Currant pie … Take one and a half cups of white flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, half a cup of softened butter, half a cup of white sugar, 2 egg yolks, one and a half teaspoons of grated lemon zest, 2 egg whites, 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, 2.5 cups of red currants … To make the dough, sift flour and baking powder into a container. Combine with butter, sugar, egg yolks and lemon zest until mixture turns into a dough. Let the latter rest in a cool place for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 165 degrees. Roll out the dough and place on the bottom of a baking dish. Bake the crust in the oven for about 25 minutes for a golden yellow crust. Make the filling: In a new bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks, gradually add the sugar and cornstarch, continuing to beat for about 5 minutes. Mix with currants and pour on top of the crust. Leave in the oven for another 10 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.
- Soufflé with currants and cookies … Prepare 2 medium eggs, an incomplete glass of whipped cream, a quarter glass of sugar, a vanilla pod, one glass of mascarpone cheese, 70 grams of biscuits broken into pieces, 340 g of currants. Combine the egg whites and a pinch of salt in a small bowl, then beat until firm. Do the same with the cream. In a third bowl, beat the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds. Add mascarpone to this mixture. Combine whipped cream and egg yolks, add protein foam. Mix all the remaining ingredients by adding 85 g of currants. Divide the mixture into silicone molds and freeze. Decorate with leftover currants and cookies.
- Sandwich "Monte Cristo" … For this recipe with white currants, we need: 1 large egg, a third of a glass of whole milk, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, 4 slices of white bread, 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard, 85 g of thinly sliced ham, the same amount of fried turkey breast, a few slices Emmentaler cheese, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, powdered sugar for sprinkling, currants for serving. Place the egg and milk in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until the ingredients are completely dissolved. Place 2 slices of bread on a work surface and spread 1 teaspoon of mustard on each. Cover them with ham and turkey. Place the cheese and the remaining pieces of bread on top. Grease a skillet and let it heat well. Place the sandwich in the egg mixture and turn over to coat both sides well. Place the first sandwich in the skillet and repeat with the second. Fry for about 4-5 minutes to brown the bread and melt the cheese. Sprinkle with powdered sugar on top and garnish with white currants.
- Spring fruit pudding … Prepare 5 cups of blueberries, a third of a cup of sugar, 1 cup of white currant juice, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 500 g of white bread crumb without crusts, mint for decoration. Place half of the blueberries in a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Add juice and bring to a boil. Mix the resulting fruit puree with the cornstarch; if the mixture is too thick, you can add a little water. Carefully add the remaining berries, bring the mixture to a boil again and remove from heat. Separate about 6 tablespoons of the resulting puree for garnish. Line the pudding tins with the white bread and the fruit puree on top. Cover the top with leftover bread and leave in a cool place for at least 4 hours. After removing the puddings from the molds, garnish with the set aside fruit puree and mint leaves.
- Spicy rolls with turkey and currants … Stock up on 1 turkey breast (skinless), half a cup of goat cheese, one thin pita bread, 4 lettuce leaves, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, 1 apple cut into thin slices, 1 cup orange juice, 1 cup white sugar, 340 g white currant, half a cup of raisins, half a cup of white onions (diced), a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon of chili or jalapeno sauce, 1 teaspoon of minced garlic, a pinch of cumin, a pinch of ground cinnamon. To make a spicy currant sauce, place all of the ingredients except the meat, cheese, and salad in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Fry the turkey breast well and cut into strips. Brush pita bread or a suitable tortilla with soft cheese, place on top of the lettuce and meat, and pour the sauce on top. Wrap the corners of the dough around the filling so that it does not fall out, then lightly fry the roll on both sides. Cut into portions before serving.
White currant drink recipes:
- Currant punch … Take 3 cups apple cider, 3 cups dry white wine, 1 cup Cassis liqueur, 2 chopped limes, 80 g white currants, 4 mint leaves. Combine cider, white wine and liquor in a common container. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Then remove from heat, add lime, berries and mint. The drink is ready.
- Fruit compote … Prepare 375 grams of rhubarb, cut into pieces, 375 milliliters of cherry juice, 200 g of sugar, 1 vanilla pod, 250 g of red currants, 250 g of raspberries, 250 g of strawberries. Cook rhubarb and cherry juice together for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil again. Mix half a glass of water with a half glass of sugar and add to the rhubarb broth. Bring to a boil again, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add berries. Chill well before serving.
- Currant mojito … Collect 8 large mint leaves, half a lime, cut into wedges, 30 g white currants, 2 teaspoons sugar, 120 ml rum, ice cubes to fill a glass, 120 ml soda water. In a cocktail shaker, combine mint, lime, currants and sugar, gradually adding rum. Pour a third of the ice into a glass, then add half of the fruit-rum mixture, and top up with soda at the end.
Interesting facts about white currant
Currant berries have aperitif, diuretic, laxative and coldogenic properties. In folk medicine, their mixture is used topically to relieve the symptoms of rheumatism, pain relief from sprains or dislocations.
White currants are believed to have the ability to ward off fevers, induce sweat, normalize menstrual periods, and restore a healthy appetite. Dry leaf tea relieves symptoms of gout and rheumatism, can be useful in compresses for wound healing and as a mouthwash.
Berry puree is used in cosmetic masks to restore beauty to tired and lifeless skin. When consumed regularly in small doses, white currants are useful for patients with diabetes, heart disease, and for preventing premature aging.
Modern gardeners know different varieties of white currant. Among them are shrubs with the beautiful names "White Grapes", "Blanca", "Versailles Blanche", "White Pearl". At the same time, "White Grape" was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society award for special value in the garden.
Species with yellow and pink berries, oddly enough, do not belong to either white or red currants. They are called yellow and pink currants, respectively, but without careful comparison on the shrub itself, it is rather difficult to distinguish berries from each other. Ripe specimens of white currant can take on a yellowish or pinkish hue, depending on growing conditions. Green currants also exist, being a variety of albino black currants.
Watch a video about white currants:
Thus, it is a tasty and visually attractive berry containing a huge amount of substances vital for the human body. The benefits far outweigh the potential harm of white currant for people with medical prescription restrictions. Unless your doctor has indicated otherwise, berries are allowed to be eaten during pregnancy, lactation, they are offered without fear to children and the elderly.
