What is Red Currant Jam?
Red currant jam is a sweet spread made from the red currant. The currant is a small, round bright red berry that grows in clusters. The jam is made by cooking the berries down, adding sugar, and an additive such as pectin to thicken it. The jam is a deep red color, with tiny seeds and has a sticky and semi-thick texture that spreads easily and is very different from jelly and not gelatinous. The flavor is sweet and tart with a hint of rhubarb and cranberry.
What does Red Currant Jam Taste Like?
...Sweet is one of the five main tastes. It has smooth and round notes in its flavor profile. Sweet is a naturally occurring flavor in many foods, including fruits, berries, winter squashes, sugarcane, and honey. The sweet taste in these foods is due to a higher sugar content. Sweetness is characteristic of desserts and is used as an accent in savory foods.
...Sour is one of the five main tastes. It is tart and bright, sometimes with a mouth-puckering quality. Sour is a naturally occurring flavor found in many foods, including citrus, vinegar, various dairy products, and certain fruits. Sour is used to enhance a dish or drink and is used as both a main and complimentary flavor.
Ingredients
...Sugar comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. The sugar is extracted from the juice of both plants and refined into the granulated substance known as sugar. Sucrose, the sweet substance of sugar is a combination of glucose and fructose. White sugar is composed of tiny white, dry granules. The flavor is sweet and neutral. Brown sugar is brown and has more moisture, with a richer flavor that hints at molasses. Sugar is used in both sweet and savory foods.
...Red currants are in the family of the gooseberry and are small and bright red with a thin skin. It is an extremely fragile berry that bruises easily and is translucent. The berries grow in thick clusters and are mainly used in cooked preparations and not commonly eaten raw. They taste sweet and tart with a hint of rhubarb and raspberry, that has an acidic edge.
...Additives are added to food items in small quantities to improve the flavor, change the texture, enhance appearance, or preserve the item. Additives are both natural and artificial. Natural additives have been used for a long time, while many artificial ones were discovered in the 19th century. There are numerous artificial additives including soy lecithin, guar gum, ascorbic acid and sodium nitrite.