Currant

Currants are a shrub mentioned briefly in the How to Train Your Dragon Book series.

Description
Currants are berry-bearing shrubs belonging to the Genus Ribes. A number of species are relevant to humans, including the black currant mentioned in How to Be a Pirate. Black currants (Ribes nigrum) produce small purple black berries on branching stems called "strigs". Though currants are cold-hardy, a late frost may kill off the blossoms. Currant berries are rich in fiber and vitamins such as Vitamin C.

Function
In both the Book series and in actuality, currants are eaten by humans in a variety of ways. In the Book series, the Hooligans have a black currant wine. In addition to beverages, currants can be eaten raw, made into jellies, jams and other deserts, as well as an addition to savory dishes and meats.

Currants have also been used in traditional medicine to help with women's issues and kidney issues. It has also been used in some cosmetics and also as a dye - yellow from the leaves and blue from the berries.

Appearances
After finding Grimbeard the Ghastly's treasure chest on the Isle of the Skullions, the questing Hairy Hooligans sail home to Berk aboard the Lucky Thirteen. To celebrate their success, some of the warriors tap into a barrel of black currant wine.

"Some of the other Hooligan Warriors handed out black-currant wine for the toast."

- Book 2

Their celebration was interrupted, however, by hostile Outcasts taking over the Lucky Thirteen. During the fight to retake the ship, a flare is dropped into the open barrel of black currant wine, which burst into flames and destroyed the ship.

"And Thor only knows what was IN that black-currant wine, but the entire barrel burst into flames. The fire raged out of control."

- Book 2