Ukrainian Ingredient Spotlight: Black Currants
Black Currant "Jam" Varennya Recipe
If you were to ask me what I miss the most about Ukraine—berries would be at the top of the list. Some of my most vivid memories of Ukraine involve picking and eating what felt like an endless supply of berries. As a kid, I would spend whole days outside exploring and collecting berries from nearby gardens and random fields overgrown with red, white, and black currants. There was also always an abundance of gooseberries, wild strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, blackberries, and other fruit trees such as sour cherries, plums, pears, apricots, and apples. By the way, if you ever get a chance to try a wild strawberry, those teeny-tiny strawberries, please promise me that you will seize the day and eat as many of those as you possibly can. It might just be life-altering.
Today I wanted to highlight one of my favorite Ukrainian ingredients—the delicious dark purple berries of a black currant shrub! In Ukrainian, it’s Cmorodina meaning currant and Chorna meaning black (Смородина чорна). Black currant (Ribes nigrum) is a type of perennial shrub that belongs to the Grossulariaceae family and ribes genus. The shrub produces edible berries that are commonly used to make preserves, dyes, liqueurs, and jams. The current biggest producers of black currants are Poland, the United Kingdom, and of course Ukraine!
I just learned myself that different species of currants and gooseberries belong to the SAME genus, ribes. They are divided into two subgenera, subgenus Ribes (currants) and subgenus Grossularia (gooseberries), but who knew? No wonder I love both!
Black, red, and white currants play an important role in Ukrainian cuisine both in savory and sweet applications. The sourness of currants pairs beautifully with savory dishes such as shpundra. Black currant sauces are often served with duck, pork, rabbit, goose, and lamb. In addition to the berries, black currant leaves are used commonly in Ukrainian fermentation both for their tannins, this helps keep the cucumbers crisp during the souring process, and additionally for their flavor.
In addition to cooking, black currants are frequently used to make different types of alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages such as nalyvka, a type of Ukrainian fruit liqueur, spotykach, a type of fruit infused dessert alcoholic drink, kompot, a type of Ukrainian fruit punch or juice, kvass and even wine.
Sweet applications of black currants, especially in baking, are very popular given Ukrainian preference for all things sour and not too sweet desserts. Black currants are commonly used in different types of Ukrainian preserves such as jams, jellies, and different types of varennya (see recipe and definition below). Currants are frequently used in baking, for example, you can bake; vyshyvanka, a type of fruit flavored pastry, babas or cakes, zapekanka or Ukrainian cheesecake, kifli (kifliki), a type of rolled cookie with a sweet filling, pampushky or Ukrainian doughnuts, pirogi or pies, and baked or fried pirozhki, hand pies.
In Ukraine, and many other cultures, black currant is associated closely with healing and medicinal properties. Many consume black currant products in the hopes of reducing blood sugar, strengthening cardiovascular and immune systems, as well as improving metabolism. What we do know is that;
Black currants have a higher concentration of anthocyanins (1,741± 49 mg/100 g fresh berries) and vitamin C (up to 181 mg/100 g fresh berries) than blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries, attributing to their antioxidant properties and other health benefits. Anthocyanins are a type of flavonoid known for their characteristic purplish pigments. Cyanidin-3-glucoside, cyanidin-3-rutinoside, delphinidin-3-glucoside, and delphinidin-3-rutinoside make up the majority of black currant’s anthocyanin content. The berries are also a source of other nutrients: 100 g of fresh berries includes 6.8 g fiber, 0.26 mg manganese, 0.4 mg vitamin B5, 1.4 mg iron, and 322 mg potassium, and other vitamins and minerals. Black currant seed oil contains the polyunsaturated fatty acid, gamma linolenic acid, and is primarily used in cosmetics.
according to the Savanna Institute of agroforestry. The currant research on the health benefits of black currants is promising but more research is needed to fully understand the health benefits of this magical fruit.
Another super interesting fact that I learned while doing research for this newsletter about currants is what also seems to be an explanation for why they are so hard to find in the US. Turns out, the cultivation of currants was banned in the U.S. in 1911 due to their negative impact on the logging industry. Apparently, certain species of currants can carry Cronartium ribicola, a type of fungus that kills five-needle pine trees. Another reason to hate the logging industry! The good news is that many US farmers are starting to cultivate black currants as a high-value crop! The currant ban was officially lifted in 1966.
I hope today’s newsletter have you a quick introduction into the role of currants in Ukrainian culinary culture. I want to end today’s newsletter with one of my favorite recipes. Please enjoy this super simple black currant varennya and let me know what you enjoyed it with in the comments.
As a quick note, I will be sending my second paid newsletter with my very popular Sourdough Dark Chocolate Zavyvanets (Babka) recipe next Wednesday, May 1st!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK:
Black Currant “Jam” Varennya
Do you want a recipe for the world’s easiest and tastiest “jam” varennya? Well, here it is. You only need 2 ingredients! Yes, you read that correctly!
You might be wondering why the word jam is in quotes. Technically this is not a jam but a type of whole-fruit preserve we call Varennya in Ukraine. The word varennya (варе́ння) comes from the Ukrainian verb varyty or варити that means to cook or boil. I am sure you also might have noticed the resemblance to Ukraine’s most famous dumplings, Varenyky! Both come from the same root verb. Pretty cool, no?
In Ukraine, the craft of varennya-making is just as common as jam-making. The two are very similar, but unlike jam, there are no thickening agents like pectin in varennya. The most important distinction is that the final product will have a thick but transparent-like syrup covering the fruit unlike a set jam where the fruit has been cooked down and all of the liquid has been evaporated.
I have noticed that oftentimes the word varennya is mistranslated into English simply as jam. This mistranslation has created quite a bit of confusion, the two are often perceived as interchangeable. I want to clarify that the majority of the time the two are actually NOT interchangeable in Ukrainian recipes as their consistencies are quite different from one another.
My black currant varennya recipe is perfect for those who prefer the less sweet preserves. The natural tartness of black currants is preserved by using only 50% of the sugar of the total weight of the black currants. You can easily double, quadruple, etc. the recipe by keeping the ratio exactly the same, 1 part fruit and 0.5 part sugar.
I know black currants are not the easiest ingredient to find in an American grocery store or even at a farmers market. But it is so worth it seeking it out. You can find black currants in the frozen section of any Eastern European grocery store. If you are in Austin, they sell these at the Borderless European Market (BEM).
Lastly, since you will most likely be buying these frozen, make sure to defrost the currants before starting the varennya making process. I will usually put the frozen black currants in the fridge overnight and they are ready to go in the morning.
What can you do with varenyya? Well, I love to eat it with Greek yogurt for breakfast or dessert! You can also use it for cakes, babkas, and all sorts of baking projects including of course cheesecake. It makes the perfect topping for pancakes, mlyntsi (Ukrainian crepes), oladi (Ukrainian pancakes), syrniki (Ukrainian fresh cheese cakes), pirogi (pies), pirozhki (hand pies baked and fried), ice cream, and much more. This can also be a nice addition to any Thanksgiving table for that hint of acidity that we usually get from cranberries. Try making black currant sauce in addition to the cranberry sauce.
Ingredient List:
300 grams black currants fresh or defrosted
150 grams sugar
Method:
In a small heavy bottom saucepan place the black currants and sugar. Using a spatula or wooden spoon gently mix until the sugar has evenly coated the currants. You want the majority of the sugar to be hydrated.
Let the black currant and sugar mixture rest at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes. This step helps naturally release some of the juices. At the end of the resting step there should be visible liquid in the sauce pan.
Now put the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to boil the mixture for 12 to 15 minutes or until the majority of the water has evaporated.
Once you have reached the desired consistency pour the black currant varennya into a heatproof clean jar (I like to use these weck jars) and let cool to room temperature. If a skin forms, give the jam a mix with a clean spoon, cover, and put in the fridge.
BAKING NEWS:
Orders through May 15th are now live! You can order any cheesecake your heart desires using my online store powered by Hotplate.
Also in some very exciting news. I am working on a brand new cheesecake flavor and it is going to be…drum-roll…Peanut Butter! Offered with a black currant varennya topping! It literally tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich! I like to think of it as a representation of my two identities tied into one cheesecake, the American obsession with peanut butter and Ukrainian obsession with black currants. A more perfect union.
This brought back memories of my mother making blackcurrant jam from the fruit bushes we had in our yard. I mostly remember strict orders NOT TO TASTE it because it was too hot, as well as a long story about the boiling point of sugar which my scientist mother surely delighted in teaching and which I promptly forgot!
Thank you for this ! I always enjoy black currents in Romania and grow them in my garden in the US