Sultanas, currants and raisins?

moanymoany

It is possible to put only one kind of dried fruit in a cake, it will still be lovely.

thriftlady_2

odds-n-sods wrote: »

currants = blackcurrants!

No, they are definitely not blackcurrants They are a small grape, the name derives from the word Corinth where they originally came from.

saving-grace

moanymoany wrote: »

It is possible to put only one kind of dried fruit in a cake, it will still be lovely.

I agree, I use whatever I've got in the house, just making sure the total weight of dried fruit is correct.
But as Thriftlady says they do all taste quite different so you may as well buy them and enjoy trying them.
For economy , I find packets of Basics mixed dried fruit to be fine.

noonesperfect

Personally I'm not fond of currants, but rather than leave them out I buy ready mixed luxury fruit for christmas cake and just make sure that the total amount I put inis the total amount in the recipe.
This year I've bought some lovely luxury mixed fruit from Aldi. I think it was 75p for 500g and includes pineapple as well as the usual stuff.
I bought three bags as I wasn't sure how much I needed (it was an impulse buy :rolleyes: ) but it will come in! I can always add extra cherries or peel if necessary!

twink

i was going to say the same thing noonesperfect, i buy the luxury fruit mix and the cake turns out just fine, i use cherries and chopped walnuts too

sillyvixen

personally i favour saltanas in a fruit cake but if you ar making a christmas cake you will get a more traditional taste with all three.

pavlovs_dog

i prefer raisins or sultanas to currents - currents always seem to have stalky bits left in them (or this that just because i buy own brand fruit? )

thriftlady_2

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

i prefer raisins or sultanas to currents - currents always seem to have stalky bits left in them (or this that just because i buy own brand fruit? )

They can be very gritty. I used some Tesco currants in a rather gorgeous orange and ginger cake that I made last Christmas. They were gritty and spoilt it rather.

My Welsh granny used to use them in everything she baked. It put my mum off them permanently. Currant squares were a favourite of gran's. Just a pastry sandwich with currants in the middle.

mags50_2

My Welsh granny used to use them in everything she baked. It put my mum off them permanently. Currant squares were a favourite of gran's. Just a pastry sandwich with currants in the middle.


oooo we used to call that 'fly-pie'

my mum would put a bit of butter and brown sugar in as well.... haven't made any in years...

wanders off to the kitchen...

Seakay

From: http://www.ochef.com/676.htm


"There are three common names for raisins in the English-speaking world — sultanas, currants, and raisins. Of course, sutanas and currants are raisins — that is, dried grapes — and among purists the word raisin is supposed to be used for any raisin that is not a sultana or a currant. But that doesn't always happen.

Currants are tiny raisins from the Zante grape, and are supposed to have been first grown on the island of Corinth in Greece. Generally, currants are more tart than other raisins. Sultana raisins were originally the product of the Sultana grape, which grew in Turkey. But in this country, 95% of the grapes used for raisin production are the Thompson Seedless variety, which dry and darken in the sunlight, producing the common raisin. The same variety of grape, however, treated with sulphur dioxide and heated artificially stays lighter, moister, and plumper, and these are what are sold here as golden raisins or sultanas. Theoretically, sultanas are sweeter and less acid than other raisins."