All scuppernongs are muscadines, but not all muscadines are scuppernongs.
Their primary difference lies in their relationship to each other; one is a cultivar of the other.
While muscadine cultivars cover a spectrum of colorful shades, there are two primary color types — black (or purple) and bronze. “Scuppernong” is a bronze grape that was the first muscadine cultivar, so-named because of its discovery along the Scuppernong River in North Carolina. That’s right, the Scuppernong Grape is a native of North Carolina and is the N.C. state fruit. It is also the first grape ever actively cultivated in the United States.
Muscadines are significantly more nutritious than the average table grape. With their edible seeds and relatively thick skins, muscadine grapes are particularly high in insoluble fiber, the kind that promotes bowel regularity and helps prevent constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticulitis. A single muscadine has as much fiber as five seedless grapes. They also contain twice as much vitamin C as seedless grapes.
