What does cassis mean?
Cassis is the French word for the blackcurrant, adopted into English largely through cookery and drinks culture. In kitchens it names the glossy, deeply flavoured black berry itself or the intense purées, syrups, and coulis made from it, prized for their sharp, aromatic sweetness. More commonly still, 'cassis' serves as shorthand for crème de cassis, the dark crimson-black liqueur produced by macerating blackcurrants in alcohol with sugar. This liqueur is best known as the defining ingredient of the kir, the Burgundian aperitif in which a measure of cassis is topped up with dry white wine, and of the kir royal, which substitutes Champagne. Because the word arrives from French, it carries a slightly refined, continental connotation and is met mainly on restaurant menus, wine labels, and in gastronomic writing rather than casual conversation. For anyone describing desserts, cocktails, or European fruit cultivation, cassis offers a precise and elegant term that plain 'blackcurrant' does not quite capture.
The blackcurrant berry or a preparation (juice, purée, syrup) made from it.
"Fold the cassis through the cream just before serving so the colour stays marbled."
Often used attributively or in French-derived culinary phrases.
Short for crème de cassis: a sweet, dark red liqueur made from blackcurrants.
"A traditional kir calls for one part cassis to five parts chilled white wine."
Order 'a kir' in France and you're drinking cassis without saying it — the classic aperitif is simply white wine laced with this deep-purple blackcurrant liqueur.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cassis
The word comes directly from French cassis, meaning blackcurrant, which English adopted in the nineteenth century alongside growing interest in French cuisine and liqueurs. It entered English chiefly through the name of the blackcurrant liqueur crème de cassis, a specialty of Burgundy whose fame spread widely after the popularisation of the kir aperitif. The term has remained closely tied to gastronomy ever since.
How cassis is actually used
The word is a borrowing from French and retains a somewhat continental, gastronomic register in English; it appears most often on menus, wine lists, and food writing rather than in everyday speech. When referring to the fresh fruit, British English more often says 'blackcurrant', reserving 'cassis' chiefly for culinary or drink contexts and for the liqueur.
Easily confused with cassis
Cassia is an aromatic spice and tree bark similar to cinnamon, whereas cassis refers to the blackcurrant or its liqueur.
Casein is a protein found in milk, while cassis denotes a blackcurrant or blackcurrant liqueur.