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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Black currant taste/flavor/aroma

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  • From: list@ginda.us
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Black currant taste/flavor/aroma
  • Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2004 20:09:22 -0500


On Mar 6, 2004, at 9:08 AM, loneroc wrote:

. . .
I think that you're being hard on Ed for being unable to put into words, the
differences in black currant flavors he experinces. I would trust the
judgement of a person that specializes in the culture of a fruit, or that
specializes in any subject of human interest. That specialist has the
experience to possess an informed judgment of quality. It is not correct to
say that there are not things that are inherently superior to others. While
everyone has the right to have their own likes and dislikes, the paintings
on the wall of the Louvre are superior to the drawings held with magnets on
the fridge, however much we love our children.
. . .


I agree that it's awfully hard to describe flavors, but I agree with Kevin that it's not helpful enough to trust someone else's judgment. Thanks to all who have tried to describe the flavors. Often, in commercial fruit production, a milder flavor is considered an improvement, but that might not be what a lover of the fruit really wants. Larger berries are considered an improvement, but I have sought out small-berried blueberry cultivars, so we can use them in pancakes.

The only black currants I've had fresh were "Consorts", and I agree that they are nearly inedible. On the other hand, they cook down into terrific jam. Ribena is wonderful, and if it's made with "Ben Lomand" that's a plug for that cultivar, but of course, that's cooked, too. I look forward to trying some of the "edible fresh" cultivars sometime. I wonder if they are as good when cooked. I don't know what the chemical relationship is between the harsh raw flavor and the rich cooked flavor - they might be entirely different chemicals, with the good flavor simply masked by the harsh flavor, or the rich cooked flavor might be what the harsh flavor breaks down into. I know there are strong flavored grapes with and without harsh flavors - maybe it's like that.

Ginda





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