The redcurrant is the small, translucent ruby-red berry of Ribes rubrum, a hardy deciduous shrub in the gooseberry family. The fruit hangs in long, pendulous clusters called strigs, each a row of glossy spheres so clear that the tiny seeds show through the skin. Sharply tart with only a faint underlying sweetness, redcurrants are rarely eaten in quantity raw; their high acidity and abundant pectin make them prized for jelly, the classic Cumberland sauce, summer pudding, garnish and glaze.