Field guide · Autumn

Grapes (black/red)

Uvas pretas in Portugal, uva nera in Italy, raisin noir in France — but blaue Trauben in Germany and blauwe druiven in the Netherlands, so one fruit is black, blue or red depending where you stand. A currant is this same fruit again: the word is worn down from raisins de Corinthe, the tiny dried grapes shipped out of Corinth, and the bush berries only borrowed it in the 1570s, on a resemblance. An old recipe calling for currants may mean dried grapes. Buy them dark and firm on green stems; wrinkled or dropping means old. Simplest thing to do with it: roast the bunch whole and spoon it over cheese.

Noted 2026-08-17