Black Currants Are All Coupled Up

One of the first things we noticed when we started buying groceries here was that black currants are in all kinds of foods and drinks. I guess the black currant man needs to take his sales trophy and have a vacation, as Brian Regan would say!
Here's just a sampling of what you find in the grocery aisles here:

         
What is a black currant? It's a little shrub that grows in eastern and northern Europe and in parts of Asia. Turns out that black currant, not native to the U.S., has an interesting past. From Wikipedia:
Blackcurrants were once popular in the United States as well, but became rare in the 20th century after currant farming was banned in the early 1900s, when blackcurrants, as a vector of white pine blister rust, were considered a threat to the U.S. logging industry. The federal ban on growing currants was shifted to jurisdiction of individual states in 1966, and was lifted in New York State in 2003 through the efforts of horticulturist Greg Quinn. As a result, currant growing is making a comeback in New York, Vermont, Connecticut and Oregon. However, several statewide bans still exist including Maine and New Hampshire.
Since the American federal ban ceased currant production nationally for nearly a century, the fruit remains largely unknown in the United States, and has yet to regain its previous popularity to levels enjoyed in Europe or New Zealand. Owing to its unique flavour and richness in polyphenols, dietary fibre and essential nutrients, awareness and popularity of blackcurrant is once again growing, with a number of consumer products entering the market.