Monday, July 06, 2009

Fruit of the Day: Genipapo

There really is nothing more fun than browsing fruit stands and grocery-store produce sections to find new and exciting and weird fruits. Today we have the genipapo. The English translations I found were "genipa Americana" and "marmalade box". Marmalade box! What a great name for something. You may use it for your next band.

As is often the case, I had no idea what to expect from the genipapo. I read that it has a natural black ink that can be used kind of like henna to tattoo skin, so I cut into it with some caution. As you can see, its insides were pretty much as underwhelming as its outsides. The seeds are very hard and the pulp has a very strong odour and flavour that are almost chemical. Our taste-testers weren't exactly lining up for seconds. Jackie, one of the proprietors of our fine hostel (and also an excellent cook with whom I've been sharing recipes), told us that it's often used to make liquor, so we might have to check that out. In the interest of research, of course.
UFF Fruit Rating:

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Marmalade box? Is that like a FOP?

Unknown said...

We had genipapo juice at our bed and breakfast - our hostess is quite fond of it. Although it does have that unfortunate chemical taste, it does grow on one, and one doesn't mind the acerbic edge.
Apparently, juicing it seems pretty much the only non-alcoholic use for this fruit.