Fruit
Ribes nigrum
S tier
Ribes nigrum is the species behind black currant—small almost-black berries on strigs, exploding with musky, resinous perfume and sharp acid that few fruits match raw. Skin is thin but tough enough to hold in cordials; juice stains purple-violet. Leaves share a related catty-aromatic note used in some traditional drinks. Cook with sugar into jam, jelly, and cassis-style liqueur; freeze on trays for year-round baking. Fresh handful eating is an acquired taste—balance with cream or meringue. Northern European climates suit it; white-pine blister rust rules historically limited US plantings. Strip berries when fully black and still firm.
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History
Monastery gardens across northern Europe and Russia tended black currant for kitchen use.
British gardens fixed R. nigrum as a jam and cordial fruit.
Vitamin C publicity and cordial factories expanded commercial acreage.
Frozen pulp and concentrate carried black currant flavour beyond the fresh season.