currant

/ˈkʌrənt/

/ˈkʌrənt/

Other forms: currants

A currant is a small dried fruit, similar to a tiny raisin. Your favorite recipe for Irish soda bread might include grated orange rind and currants.

There are two types of fruit that we call currants. The first is a small berry typically used in making jam and jelly, and the second is small variety of raisin made from grapes that are grown in Greece and California. Currants are very common in traditional British cooking, particularly in baked goods like scones and sweets like Christmas pudding. Don't confuse currant with current, which means "in the present." You might say, "Jam? My current favorite is currant!"

Definitions of currant

1. noun

   any of several tart red or black berries used primarily for jellies and jams
   types:

   gooseberry

   currant-like berry used primarily in jams and jellies

   black currant

   small black berries used in jams and jellies

   red currant

   small red berries used primarily in jams and jellies

   type of:

   berry

   any of numerous small and pulpy edible fruits; used as desserts or in making jams and jellies and preserves
2. noun

   any of various deciduous shrubs of the genus Ribes bearing currants
   synonyms: currant bush

   types:

   Ribes rubrum, garden current, red currant

   cultivated European current bearing small edible red berries

   European black currant, Ribes nigrum, black currant

   widely cultivated current bearing edible black aromatic berries

   Ribes sativum, white currant

   garden currant bearing small white berries

   Ribes sanguineum, winter currant

   a flowering shrub

   type of:

   bush, shrub

   a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
3. noun

   small dried seedless raisin grown in the Mediterranean region and California; used in cooking
   type of:

   raisin

   dried grape