Caimito fruta dominicana: flora – El caimito es una fruta más saludable que sabrosa

Pouteria caimito – Wikipedia, la enciclopedia libre

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Pouteria caimito es un árbol tropical de frutos comestibles perteneciente a la familia sapotaceae, está relacionada con otras sapotáceas del género Pouteria como lo son Pouteria sapota, P. campechiana y P. lucuma.

Recibe el nombres comunes de abiu en Brasil, caimito, caimito amarillo, caimo en Costa Rica y Colombia,^[1]​ caimito o avio en Ecuador y aguaí o aguay^[2]​ en el Río de la Plata. No debe confundirse a esta especie con otra sapotácea que también es llamada caimito: Chrysophyllum cainito.

Índice

• 1 Descripción
• 2 Distribución geográfica
• 3 Usos
• 4 Taxonomía
• 5 Referencias
• 6 Bibliografía
• 7 Enlaces externos

Descripción[editar]

Árbol que mide hasta 40 m de altura, y tronco de 50 cm, con látex pegajoso blanco. Flores caulinares verde-amarillas. El fruto, redondo ovalado, a veces punteado, amarillento y verdoso al madurar, con 1 a 4 semillas ovales. La pulpa es blanca, translucida, mucilaginosa, fragante y acaramelada; contiene mucho látex pegajoso en su cáscara, por lo que es recomendable untar los labios con grasa para evitar que se adhiera a ellos.

Distribución geográfica[editar]

Es nativo del Amazonas y el pacífico tropical de Sudamérica. Se puede encontrar desde Argentina hasta Costa Rica y el Caribe, es comúnmente sembrado por su fruto comestible. El árbol crece mejor en áreas tropicales y en los lugares que tienen un clima húmedo y cálido durante todo el año.

La madera del árbol es densa, pesada y dura y se utiliza como madera en la construcción.

Culinaria

El fruto del árbol es comestible y considerado uno de los mejores de los zapotes^[3]​ debido a que tiene el sabor a caramelo dulce de zapote con una textura más suave. Se come habitualmente con las manos y, aunque en Colombia los que comían el fruto de esta manera se les aconsejaba engrasar sus labios para mantener el gomoso látex sin pegarse, este riesgo puede evitarse mediante la selección de frutas maduras y sacando la carne con un utensilio. La acidez de un poco de jugo de limón añadido puede mejorar el sabor, sobre todo cuando han sido refrigerados. La fusión de la pulpa dulce también se utiliza para dar sabor al helado y se corta en el yogur como un delicioso desayuno. La sutileza del sabor limita su utilidad en dulces y ensaladas más complejas. El fruto es una importante fuente de calcio, fósforo, vitamina A y vitamina C.

Medicinal

La fruta demasiado madura de color amarillo dorado oscuro desarrolla una naturaleza mucilaginosa. En Brasil, la gente utiliza esta característica para aliviar la tos, bronquitis y otras aflicciones pulmonares. Otros usos de la medicina popular son como astringente, anti-anémico y anti-inflamatoria y para aliviar la fiebre y diarrea.

Cultivo

El árbol crece mejor en áreas tropicales y en los lugares que tienen un clima cálido y húmedo durante todo el año, y es un poco menos resistente que los sapotes relacionados, como el Canistel y zapote (níspero). ^[4]​ En los Estados Unidos, crece bien en Sur de la Florida por el norte hasta el Condado de Palm Beach, y ha sobrevivido a breves heladas.^[5]​ Prefiere suelo húmedo, ligeramente ácido con alto contenido orgánico y puede sufrir de deficiencia de hierro ( clorosis ) en suelos alcalinos. Un árbol que se ha plantado solo será frágil y necesita protección contra el viento y el frío.

Pouteria caimito fue descrita por (Ruiz & Pav.) Radlk. y publicado en Sitzungsberichte der Mathematisch-Physikalischen Classe (Klasse) der K. B. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu München 12(3): 333. 1882.^[6]​

Referencias[editar]

1. ↑ Agudelo, Lina Marcela Aguilera; León, Nicole Dayanna Hernández; Niño, Miguel Angel Ramírez; Ramírez, Miguel Ángel Navarro (30 de junio de 2021). «Actividad antioxidante y contenido de polifenoles en pulpa del caimo (Pouteria caimito)». Revista Sistemas de Producción Agroecológicos 12 (1): 2-37. ISSN 2248-4817. doi:10.22579/22484817.736. Consultado el 8 de noviembre de 2021. 
2. ↑ Malaret, Augusto (1970). Lexicón de Fauna y Flora. Madrid: Comisión Permanente de la Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española. pp. vii + 569. 
3. ↑ Popenoe, Wilson (1920). «The Abiu». Manual Of Tropical And Subtropical Fruits. The Macmillan Company. Consultado el 14 de agosto de 2011. 
4. ↑ «Abiu». Tradewinds Fruit. Consultado el 14 de agosto de 2011. 
5. ↑ Boning, Charles (2006). Florida’s Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs, and Vines. Sarasota, Florida: Pineapple Press, Inc. pp. 20-21. 
6. ↑ «Pouteria caimito». Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. Consultado el 13 de enero de 2015. 

Bibliografía[editar]

1. Baehni, C. & L. Bernardi. 1970. Sapotaceae. In: J. F. Macbride (ed.), Flora of Peru. Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Bot. Ser. 13(5A/3): 135–177.
2. Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. (eds.) 1993. Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45: i–xl, 1–1286.
3. Correa A., M.D., C. Galdames & M. Stapf. 2004. Cat. Pl. Vasc. Panamá 1–599. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá.
4. Davidse, G., M. Sousa Sánchez, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera. 2009. Cucurbitaceae a Polemoniaceae. 4(1): i–xvi, 1–855. In G. Davidse, M. Sousa Sánchez, S. Knapp & F. Chiang Cabrera (eds.) Fl. Mesoamer.. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
5. Dodson, C.H. & A.H. Gentry. 1978. Flora of the Río Palenque Science Center: Los Ríos Province, Ecuador. Selbyana 4(1–6): i–xxx, 1–628.
6. Forzza, R. C. 2010. Lista de espécies Flora do Brasil https://web.archive.org/web/20150906080403/http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/2010/. Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Río de Janeiro.
7. Funk, V. A., P. E. Berry, S. Alexander, T. H. Hollowell & C. L. Kelloff. 2007. Checklist of the Plants of the Guiana Shield (Venezuela: Amazonas, Bolívar, Delta Amacuro; Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana). Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 55: 1–584. View in Biodiversity Heritage Library

Enlaces externos[editar]

• Wikispecies tiene un artículo sobre Pouteria caimito.
• Abiu en Fruits of Warm Climates
• Abiu – Pouteria Caimito
• Abiu at Cape Trib Exotic Fruit Farm

Las frutas típicas de Santo Domingo

En la hacienda Vía Láctea, en La Independencia. Víctor Marcillo, pequeño productor de frutas típicas. Foto: Juan Carlos Pérez / EL COMERCIO

El caimito tiene la misma consistencia que un flan de frutas. Es gelatinoso y dulce a la vez. En la boca, esta fruta típica no tarda en deshacerse suavemente.

Nace de un árbol de ocho metros de altura. La forma de la fruta es ovalada, parecida a una granadilla. Llega a medir hasta 10 centímetros de diámetro y puede ser de color rojo-púrpura, morado oscuro, o verde pálido.

“Hay que partirlo en cuatro para evitar que la boca quede pegajosa”, dice José Cunalata, de la hacienda Vía Láctea. La propiedad siembra frutas exóticas y poco comercializadas. Está ubicada a cinco minutos de La Concordia.

Esta fruta, mamey, noni, borojó y el jack fruit se cultivan en Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.

En la Vía Láctea también se produce mamey. Es un fruto seco de color café. “Luego de cosecharlo hay que esperar dos o tres días para consumirlo”, refiere Cunalata.

“Cuando se planta en vivero es más complicado. Los insectos se aclimatan más y dañan las plantas. Al plantar uno o dos árboles no hay problema de insectos”, señaló Cunalata. El mamey también ha sido poco comercializado.

Su fruto se encuentra a 20 m de altura, en la copa del árbol. Es carnoso, de color rojizo, y con una corteza dura. Tiene forma redondeada. “A este árbol no le afecta el clima. Es muy resistente”. La fruta se utiliza en jugos y como conservas enlatadas.

Cerca de ese árbol está plantada otra fruta que emana un fuerte olor agrio. Es el noni. Según Cunalata ya no es comercializado como en épocas anteriores. “Fue una fiebre. Se lo industrializó porque supuestamente curaba varias enfermedades, hasta cáncer, pero se perdió del mercado”. El sabor es amargo y su pulpa es vede.

Cerca de allí se puede hallar también el borojó, originario de las Amazonas. Es de color verde y cambia a chocolate cuando madura. Se considera apto para ingerirlo cuando cae de las ramas al suelo. Puede alcanzar hasta cuatro libras de peso.

Otra fruta exótica es la del árbol del pan o jack fruit, que produce entre 150 y 200 frutos en un año, según su edad, variedad y el hábitat. Cuando está tierna se torna verde. Se lo emplea para preparar batidos. Basta una pequeña porción del fruto para conseguir que la bebida espese.

También se la ingiere fresca, directamente. El sabor es dulce y muy parecido al de la chirimoya.

Más sobre el caimito
A esta fruta semiácida se le e atribuyen  importantes propiedades medicinales.  Tiene una amplia gama de nutrientes. Entre ellas destacan la  cantidad de  calorías, carbohidratos, grasas, proteínas, calcio…  que aportan al cuerpo. También   fibra, fósforo, hierro, vitamina A, C y B.

Jack fruit o árbol de pan

Contiene sildenafil,   que es el ingrediente activo del viagra. Se lo halla en su forma natural.  Se le atribuyen  propiedades que ayudan en problemas de  impotencia sexual por lo que se le denomina popularmente el “viagra natural”. Además contiene hidratos de carbono, proteínas, vitamina B1 y hierro.

El noni, fruta con antioxidantes
El noni  contiene vitaminas, minerales, enzimas, oligoelementos y estéroles. Los estudios realizados a este fruto han  descubierto además que  posee una amplia variedad de aminoácidos, lo que lo convierte en una perfecta fuente de proteínas.  Se lo usa para prevenir el cáncer.

El mamey
Este fruto    tiene un importante contenido de carotenoides y es una fuente de vitamina A. También tiene algunas otras vitaminas, aunque en menores proporciones, como el ácido ascórbico (vitamina C). Es una fruta que brinda energía.

El borojó
En  los análisis  químicos del borojó se encontraron que tiene algunos elementos nutritivos y vitamínicos,   como el hierro, magnesio, calcio, fósforo, aluminio, sodio, titanio, silicio, boro, cobre, níquel, plomo, entre otros nutrientes.

Usos medicinales

El caimito maduro   se come para calmar la inflamación en la laringitis y para la neumonía. Se  recomienda  como un tratamiento para la diabetes. Esta fruta cocinada  alivia la angina de pecho. Cuando  están  ligeramente  maduros se comen para aliviar  dolores estomacales.

El mamey   se  usa para tratar problemas dermatológicos como  barros y espinillas. Se debe colocar sobre la parte afectada  haciendo una crema con unas pocas gotas de limón. Esta crema puede retirarse luego de  15 minutos con agua caliente.

El borojó, aparte de  dar energía, ha demostrado ser beneficioso en las afecciones bronquiales, para equilibrar el azúcar en la sangre, para combatir la desnutrición, para controlar la hipertensión arterial. Su consumo es en forma de jugo.

Del jack fruit se utilizan el fruto, las hojas, la raíz y el látex. Se lo ha recomendado como  antiasmático, antidiarreico y para el  tratamiento de la conjuntivitis, diabetes, antihelmíntico y otitis. También para  la  eliminación de verrugas y tratamiento de la hipertensión arterial.

El jugo de  noni   se  toma en las primeras horas de la mañana para dar energía al cuerpo. La segunda dosis puede tomarse unos 30 minutos antes de la cena.   A los niños se recomienda darles una  cucharada del jugo puro, pero  en ayunas.

What fruits are in the Dominican Republic? Healthy and tasty [Tips]

This article is a more detailed continuation of the previous article « Fruits of the Dominican Republic «

The Dominican Republic boasts a huge variety of fruits that ripen here almost all year round. Some of them are known to everyone: pineapples, watermelons, melons and bananas will not surprise us. Although there are some interesting things to say about them.

Among the more unusual fruits, the Dominican Republic can pamper us with mango, avocado, papaya, guava, passion fruit, guanabana. All of them, except for mango, are also available in any season. The “King of Fruits” ripens throughout the country from March to October. And only in one of the villages, Bani, mango grows all year round.

Related article

Finally, the lucky ones manage to catch quite exotic tastes. Anion, pitahaya, limonciyo, noni, granadilla, caimito, carambola, nispero, sapote, sapodilla and tamarind ripen on the island during certain months. In this article, you will learn what exotic Dominican fruits look like, what benefits they bring, and how to eat them correctly.

For those who want to quickly get acquainted with the most popular fruits of the Dominican Republic, I suggest watching the video. It provides brief information about seasonality and recommendations for their use. Other fruits and more about them are described below in the article.

Watermelon

Watermelon is a storehouse of fiber, potassium and vitamins A and C. This green ball is 92% water. That is why watermelon is so nice to chew on in the heat. It is also one of the lowest calorie fruits – you can eat as much as you like. In the Dominican Republic, watermelons, like melons, are sweeter in summer: in winter, they do not get glucose due to shortened daylight hours.

Melon

Melon is the best friend of everyone who wants to stay young as long as possible. A few slices a day will make your hair thick, your skin smooth and shiny, your immunity strong, and your mood sunny. The main thing is to eat melon correctly: do not mix with anything and eat only a couple of hours before or a couple of hours after the main meal. And do not overdo it: melon is very tasty, but in large quantities it is harmful to the stomach.

Banana

There are several types of them in the Dominican Republic. Small, soft and sweet are considered fruity. And large and hard – vegetable, plane tree. The latter do not eat raw, but cut into slices and deep-fried, or boiled and mashed mango into a puree. It tastes very similar to a potato dish. By the way, in fact, a banana is not a fruit or a vegetable, but . .. a berry. And they do not grow on palm trees, but on grass stems. And bananas also contain a record amount of vitamin B6 – it is just responsible for our good mood.

Mango

Some say that there are 40 types of mangoes in the Dominican Republic, others say that all 100. You can check this once a year at the beginning of summer: in the village of Bani, the one where mango ripens all year round, they organize a whole festival mango. There, farmers measure crops and varieties, and for those who wish, they organize a competition for the speedy eating of this fruit. Mangoes are rich in fiber, pectin and various minerals. The season is from April to October.

Avocado

Not everyone likes avocado, but that’s only because not everyone has tasted it in the Dominican Republic. Avocados here are crazy: huge, with a delicious nutty smell, so soft that you can eat them with spoons – just scraping out the pulp. This fruit is responsible for healthy fats that lower cholesterol levels. And he himself high-calorie, but nutritious. And it’s also nice not only to eat avocados, but also to use them for natural care – wonderful masks for the face, body and hair are obtained from its pulp.

Papaya

Papaya in the Dominican Republic is called “lechoza”, from the word “leche” – milk. Milk is contained in the trunk of this amazing tree – and has the properties of a natural ambulance. If you are injured, cut the trunk of a lechoza tree and grease the wound with white juice. Lives instantly. Well, the fruit itself contains a unique enzyme papain, reminiscent of gastric juice. Due to this, papaya is of great benefit to the digestive system. Pregnant papaya is prohibited, as it can provoke premature birth.

Dominican exotic fruit

Guava

It is a hard green pear-shaped fruit. Inside – sweet and sour white or pink flesh with a musky smell. Guava is native to Central America. She treats many diseases, from asthma to intestinal disorders. Ripe guava is eaten whole, with the skin on. And the unripe is cleaned and used as a side dish for meat dishes.

Passion Fruit or Chinola

Round, shriveled, yellowish-green, scary-looking “passion fruit” is the favorite of many Dominican fruits. There is so much tonic vitamin C here that a pair of chinols can easily replace a strong espresso. In its pure form, it is sour, so the sweet tooth of the Dominicans eat it like this: cut it in half, put sugar inside or pour honey and scoop out the pulp with a spoon along with the seeds. Be sure to try the freshly squeezed chinola juice – you will never forget this taste.

Guanabana or soursop

Guanabana looks like an overgrown green melon with black soft spines. Inside it is white. They usually sell it unripe, which is why the reputation of the guanabana fruit is healthy, but tasteless. The secret is that hard guanabana should be allowed to lie down for a couple of days until it becomes softer. Then it will acquire its unusual sweet and sour taste. They say it is the most powerful anti-carcinogen on the planet and surpasses even modern methods of treatment in terms of its effect on cancer cells.

Annon or sugar apple

The “cone” fruit, as annon is popularly called, really looks like a soft green cone in shape. It tastes amazing – white sweet pulp resembles vanilla yogurt or custard. Large black seeds are not eaten. One of the unique properties of guanabana is that it easily quenches thirst. It also helps with colds.

Pitahaya or dragon fruit

It comes from the cactus family. It’s hard to imagine a more exotic-looking fruit than the large, colorful, bright pink pitahaya. It is cut in half and the sweetest white or pink flesh is eaten out with a spoon. This is not just a delicacy – doctors recommend pitahaya as a remedy for stomach pain and endocrine diseases.

Limoncillo

There are no grapes in the Dominican Republic (only imported), but there is a local alternative – limoncillo. Small round fruits grow in clusters, taste pleasantly sour, and are difficult to peel. Be very careful: wiping lemon juice from clothes is not an easy task. Latin American women are convinced that it is thanks to this fruit that their skin remains young and elastic for so long.

Noni

There is no durian in the Dominican Republic, but there is noni. These two fruits are similar with a nasty and pungent smell: a couple of ripe noni will bring to your kitchen the aroma of a cellar in which blue cheese is stored. The taste of noni is also an amateur – it looks like a slightly bitter overripe pineapple. But in terms of useful properties, noni will give odds to almost all other fruits. It is called the “fruit of youth”. It contains absolutely all the elements of the periodic table that are important for our body. The locals know about this and make juice from noni – and drink it cold or warm every day.

Granadilla or grenadilla

This is a variety of passion fruit popular in Asia. It is rare in the Dominican Republic, but it tastes even sweeter than Thai. The dense orange or red skin is broken and scraped out with a spoon or the translucent sweet pulp is sucked out right with the seeds. There is a lot of ascorbic acid here.

Kaimito or star apple

Kaimito looks like a plum with an inedible skin and sweet white-purple flesh, and if you cut it in half, you will see a “star” of seeds. The composition is also stellar: there is vitamin C, and calcium, and potassium. And kaimito is a regular participant in the ratings of the most delicious fruits in the world. It is somewhat reminiscent of a very ripe persimmon, but not so knit and leaves an unusual sour aftertaste.

Carambola or star fruit

But this is a real star. Nothing decorates a dish as gracefully as carambola cut into slices. And it doesn’t leave a taste: juicy, moderately sweet, easily quenches thirst, pleasantly crunchy on the teeth. There is a lot of vitamin C, but a lot of oxalic acid, so if you have stomach problems, it’s better not to get carried away with carambola.

Nispero or Loquat

Pretty light orange balls that look like a mix of plums and potatoes and taste like a mix of pear, persimmon and quince. Nispero cleanses blood vessels and improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and most importantly, reduces sugar in diabetes. For Dominicans who have an irresistible passion for sugar, nispero is a real lifesaver.

Sapote

This is a godsend for all the sweet tooth who want to stop eating chocolates, cookies and other store-bought sweets. The bright red flesh of the sapote is very sweet, almost sugary, and feels very firm, even though the fruit is 85% water. It has a lot of fiber and vitamin C.

Sapodilla or chicu

The sapodilla looks like a cross between a kiwi and a potato, and tastes like its relative sapote, but more honey. It’s full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Choose soft ripe fruits with dark brown skin and be careful: sapodilla is stored no longer than a couple of days even in the refrigerator, and then it starts to ferment.

Tamarind

Tamarind is called “Dominican date” – these are beans in curved brownish pods, at first sour, and then, as they ripen, acquiring an increasingly sweet taste. It can be eaten at any stage of maturity. Like dates, tamarind enjoys a well-deserved reputation as an aphrodisiac.

What fruits can be brought from the Dominican Republic

Admit it, you are worried about this question 🙂

The answer to it is simple – absolutely any fruit can be exported from the Dominican Republic! But on one condition – put them in a suitcase. If there is an overweight, it is better to pack part of the clothes in your hand luggage or just put on the excess. It is strictly forbidden to carry perishable fruits in hand luggage. Agree, it will be a shame if hard-to-find carambola and chinola are taken away at customs.

And one more special lifehack. Choose slightly underripe fruits. Hard mangoes and avocados, greenish pineapples and papayas. Most likely, they will acquire the desired taste already during the flight. If not, then it is very easy to help them “reach” at home: put the fruit in a warm, dark place, by no means in the refrigerator, and leave it for a day or two. This is a great way to extend your Caribbean vacation a little. Exotic Dominican flavors will instantly return you to a relaxed tropical atmosphere, energize and improve your mood!

AvocadoAvocado

A plant of the laurel family has a fleshy fruit of spherical, oval or pear-shaped form, covered with a tough dark green skin with light green flesh, very oily, with a walnut taste and a large seed in the middle. Avocado contains a record amount of vitamin E and natural hormones – substances that have a rejuvenating effect on the human body. A wide range of useful components of this fruit allows its consumers to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, lower blood pressure. Despite the high calorie content, avocado is a dietary product, since it does not contain harmful fats and sugar, it quenches thirst well. “Alligator pear” is eaten fresh, and also used for juices and salads.

Aki, Dominican name: Seso

Aki – cheese fruitAki – cheese fruit

Nicknamed “cheese fruit” due to its high fat content and corresponding taste. Outside, the fruit is covered with a thick red peel, inside – light yellow flesh. It can only be eaten when ripe, as the unripe fruit is toxic.

Ambarella, Cythera’s apple, Polynesian plum, Yellow plum, Dominican name: golden apple (Manzana de oro)

Ambarella, Cythera’s apple Ambarella, Cythera’s apple

A plant of the sumac family. Its golden yellow fruits grow in clusters. Inside is the same color pulp with a pleasant smell of pineapple, crispy and juicy and a large prickly bone. The fruits can be eaten fresh, they are recommended for diabetes, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and urinary tract, high blood pressure and hemorrhoids. Unripe fruits are used in cooking.

Pineapple, Dominican name: Piña

PineapplePineapple

Herbaceous plant of the bromeliad family. Due to the high concentration of manganese, the use of this fruit is useful for diseases such as osteoporosis and bone thinning, and the presence of potassium helps maintain the health of the heart, nervous system, and kidneys. The composition of the plant includes the enzyme bromelain, used in the production of anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as a large amount of fiber, which helps fight excess weight. A ripe pineapple has a golden-yellow skin covered with curved spines and a juicy, crunchy flesh inside. Pineapple is eaten both fresh and jelly and marmalade are prepared; unripe fruits are stewed like vegetables.

Grenadilla, Dominican name: Granadilla

GrenadillaGrenadilla

A member of the Passiflora family in the Dominican Republic, contains ascorbic acid and vitamin C. This fruit resembles a melon in structure, has a yellowish-red to red color and transparent flesh with a pleasant taste and smell. Used to make juice with a long shelf life.

Guava, Dominican name: guava (Guayaba)

GuavaGuava

A plant of the myrtle family with a fruit that, according to the botanical classification, is a berry, but in shape and mass resembles a pear or quince. Outside, the fruit is covered with skin, which can be either greenish or bright yellow. Inside the guava fruit is a pale pink flesh with hard seeds and a musky aroma that is pleasant to the taste. Fruits contain vitamins C, B1, B2, B; in Dominican folk medicine are used in the treatment of asthma. Ripe fruits are used both fresh and for making jellies, jams, marmalades, juices, ice cream, unripe fruits are used as a side dish for meat dishes. Children’s favorite fruit. The shelf life of guava is very short.

Guanabana or soursop, Dominican name: Guanábana

Guanabana or soursop Guanabana or soursop

Fruit of the graviola tree. This fruit is a large green fruit, the size of a melon. The skin is dark green, turning yellow as it matures, covered with thorns. Inside is a creamy fibrous white pulp and dark inedible seeds. Guanabana is used to make ice cream, jams, and also quenches thirst well.

Dominican pear (edible casimiroa, white sapote), Dominican name: pera criolla (Pera criolla)

Dominican pearDominican pear

Despite one of the names, this fruit has nothing to do with sapote. This tree is a member of the rue family with yellowish oval-shaped fruits covered with a smooth skin, really resembling a pear. Inside is a very fragrant white pulp. The fruit is used for making jams and for fresh consumption.

Star or star apple, Dominican name: caimito

Star or star apple Star or star apple

A member of the Sapota family, so named for the characteristic pattern that is formed by seeds when the fruit is cross-cut. The plant contains a bitter milky sap both in the bark of the tree and in the peel of the fruit. Beneath the inedible shell of the star apple is a sweet, juicy pulp that is usually scooped out with a spoon. The fruits are consumed not only fresh, but also used to obtain juices and prepare various desserts.

Carambola or “Star Fruit”, Dominican name: Carambola

Carambola or “Star Fruit” Carambola or “Star Fruit”

Plant of the Oxalis family with fruits known as “tropical stars”. The name is given due to the fact that the cross section of the fruit has the shape of a five-pointed star. Carambola fruit is crisp, juicy, sweet or sweet and sour, yellow or green in color, contains vitamin C, is used mainly for decorating desserts. It quenches thirst well, but, due to the presence of oxalic acid, it is contraindicated in people suffering from gastritis and peptic ulcer.

Cahuil or cashew, Dominican name: Cajuil

Cahuil or cashew Cahuil or cashew

A plant of the sumac family. Cashew fruits are very interesting, consisting of two parts: in fact, a nut and an overgrown apple-shaped stalk hanging over it. “Cashew apples” have a juicy, sour, fragrant pulp, and therefore, in addition to eating them, they are used to make all kinds of drinks. Cahuil fruit not transportable

Longan, Dominican name: Longan

LonganLongan

“Dragon” fruit, originally from the province of the same name in Vietnam, belongs to the Sapindaceae family. Outside, the fruit of the plant is covered with a light brown shell, inside it contains a watery, transparent, sweet, very fragrant pulp with a dark red or black inedible grain in the center, resembling a dragon’s eye. Has antipyretic properties.

American Mammaya, Dominican name: Mamey

American Mammaya American Mammaya

American or Antillean apricot from the Clusian family. Orange pulp with apricot taste is covered with a brown leathery, pockmarked and rough to the touch crust, up to 6 mm thick. Fruit weight can reach 1.5 kg. The shell under the skin, like unripe fruits, is bitter, inedible. Consumption of mammei in large quantities can cause intestinal upset.

Mammon, Dominican name: Mamón. A rare and quite expensive fruit. Depending on the degree of ripeness, the fruits of this plant resemble beets or pomegranates in size and color. The riper the darker, the unripe fruit quickly becomes soft at room temperature. Mammon pulp is sweet, with a slight sourness, similar in texture to custard, contains dark inedible bones. Before eating, the fruit is cooled in the freezer, and then the pulp is cut and eaten with a spoon.

Mamoncillo or Limoncillo, Dominican name: Limoncillo

Mamoncillo or Limoncillo Mamoncillo or Limoncillo

Representative of the Sapindidae family. The fruits, the size of a large grape or a small lime, are green in color and round in shape, collected in bunches. Despite the fact that the skin with which they are covered is thin, it is difficult to peel them with your hands. Juice that gets on clothes is difficult to wash off. The pulp of the fruit is soft yellow-pink, the taste is tart, sour due to the high content of vitamin C.

Mango, Dominican name: Mango

MangoMango

Mango, the fruit of a plant of the sumac family. Due to the large number of varieties cultivated in the Dominican Republic and with different colors, it is difficult to determine the degree of their ripeness. The general rule is this: the fruit should have a smooth and shiny skin, be elastic, with a pleasant fruity smell. However, there is also a mango variety that smells of turpentine. The Dominican Republic is one of the leaders in the supply of mangoes to the world market, and in June in the Dominican “mango capital” – the city of Bani – a mango festival is held. The fruits of this plant contain a large amount of vitamins, essential amino acids, minerals, in combination necessary for their use in order to prevent cancer. The bright yellow or orange color of the pulp indicates the content of carotenoids, and, therefore, the beneficial effect of the fruit on the organs of vision, while the presence of vitamins B and C in combination with carotene will help strengthen the immune system and prevent colds.

Passion fruit, Dominican name: Chinola

Passion fruit Passion fruit

Another member of the passion fruit family (Passiflora), rich in vitamin C. Inedible skin of the fruit, thick and smooth, becomes thinner and wrinkled when ripe. Chinola has juicy, slightly sour flesh with a refreshing taste and persistent aroma. The color of chinola, depending on the variety, can vary from white to red. This passion fruit contains so many vitamins that it is able to top any fruit rating. Passion fruit pulp has high tonic properties and is used not only fresh in combination with orange juice, ice cream or yogurt, but also used to make liqueurs, sauces, etc. In pharmaceuticals, drugs of a sedative effect are obtained from fruits of the Passiflora family, in addition, chinola has found its application in cosmetology. Eat the fruit with a spoon, cutting the fruit in half.

Yellow mombin or Jamaican plum, Dominican name: hobo (Jobo)

Yellow mombin or Jamaican plum Yellow mombin or Jamaican plum

A plant of the sumac family with plum-like fruits. The fruits are covered with a thin hard golden-yellow skin. The pulp of the fruit is juicy, sour, with a slight specific taste. Hobo is used to quench thirst, to make jelly. The juice has diuretic and antipyretic properties.

Nispero or medlar, Dominican name: Nispero or Nipero

Nispero or medlar Nispero or medlar

A tree of the rose family with very interesting plum-like fruits, but covered with potato-colored skin. With two, and sometimes three seeds, like a persimmon, but the taste is something in between a pear, quince and persimmon. Very low-calorie, rich in vitamins and potassium, juicy, sweet, although with a slight sourness – this fruit will help reduce sugar in diabetes, cleanse blood vessels and kidneys, reduce weight, and normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. It is used in cooking and for confectionery, but it is best to use fresh nispero. Unripe fruits can ripen in the dark at room temperature, ripe ones are better preserved in the cold.

Noni or Morinda, Dominican name: Noni

Noni or MorindaNoni or Morinda

Noni, a member of the citrus family known for its medicinal properties, is a powerful source of antioxidants. Depending on the stage of ripening, the color of the fruit can be green, yellow, white. The ripened fruit is bitter and has an aroma reminiscent of the smell of blue cheese. Noni is consumed not only fresh, but also used to produce juices.

Papaya or melon tree, Dominican name: Lechosa

Papaya or melon treePapaya or melon tree

Lechosa (Papaya) fruits are elongated green melon-like fruits with fleshy flesh in various shades of yellow and a mild, sweet taste. Papaya contains such an amount of vitamins, minerals, enzymes that allows you to solve a variety of health problems: it helps fight cancer, normalizes the digestion process, cures skin diseases, simultaneously contributing to skin rejuvenation, helps to ease premenstrual syndrome, is used for diseases of the spine, and in combination with pineapple allows you to lose weight significantly. Papaya extract has found wide application in cosmetology, including as a basis for peelings.

Pitahaya, Dominican name: “red cactus” (Pitaya Poio) or “dragon fruit” (Fruta del dragon)

PitahayaPitahaya

The fruit belongs to the cactus family. The plant is an epiphyte, large and juicy fruits of which ripen at the ends of the stems of a cactus, which has the informal name “Dragon”. The color of the skin is red, pink, yellow. Yellow fruits are sweeter than red ones. The edible pulp of pitahaya has medicinal properties, it helps with diabetes and indigestion.

Rambutan, Dominican name: Rambután

RambutanRambutan

The fruit of a plant from the Sapindidae family, has the informal name “hairy fruit”, because its red or yellow skin has an additional coating of soft brown hairs. Rambutan is a relative of the lychee, but less juicy. Fruits, the size of a walnut, form clusters. The pulp is used for food – white-yellow, pleasantly sweet, having a gelatinous texture. The stone, which is inside the fruit, strongly grows into the pulp, it is also edible, but tastes like an acorn. Rambutan is eaten mostly raw, after cooling it and cutting the fruit in half with a knife. It is used as an additive to ice cream, in the manufacture of jams. Rich in vitamin C, cleanses the body well.

Sapodilla or chicu, Dominican name: sapodilla

Sapodilla or chicu Sapodilla or chicu

Tropical kiwi, belonging to the Sapotaceae family. Unripe fruits have an unpleasant astringent taste and are rather hard, ripe fruits are soft, sweet with the aroma of honey and pears. Outwardly, with its light brown color, sapodilla looks like a potato or kiwi. The flesh is dark pink or brown with large seeds resembling persimmon seeds.

Sapote or Mexican apple, Dominican name: Sapote

Sapote or Mexican appleSapote or Mexican apple

Close South American relative of sapodilla. Fruit with oval-shaped fruits, pointed at one end, sweet orange-brown flesh and shiny dark brown seeds. To some, the taste of sapote is reminiscent of sweet potatoes, while others find it similar to persimmons. The composition includes vitamin C, fiber, and 85% of the fruit is water. Sapote is used both fresh as one of the ingredients of fruit salads, and for making jams, marmalade. The fruits are transportable, they are removed unripe, the ripening period is about a week in a cool place.

Sugar apple or annon, Dominican name: anon (Anón)

Sugar apple or annon Sugar apple or annon

Member of the annon family. Outwardly, the fruit of a sugar apple resembles a cone of a rounded shape up to ten centimeters in length, under the hard green peel of which lies a tender, juicy and very fragrant pulp with inedible seeds, which tastes like custard. Used in the manufacture of desserts and drinks. And if you cut the fruit in half, pour in coconut milk and freeze, you get ice cream that is not only tasty, but also natural.

Tamarillo or fruit of the tomato tree, Dominican name: tamarillo or tomate de árbol

Tamarillo or fruit of the tomato treeTamarillo or fruit of the tomato tree

Not only do these fruits look very similar to red, yellow or orange tomatoes , but they really are their relatives, since both of them belong to the same family – the nightshade. So, in fact, according to the botanical classification, tamarillo is a vegetable, but for commercial use it is considered a fruit, since in many countries the production of jam is possible only from fruits. The fruits are similar in shape and size to a chicken egg, have edible pulp with a sweet and sour taste, and are covered with a very bitter peel on the outside. The gastronomic use of tamarillo is very diverse: it is used both fresh and in vegetable and fruit dishes.

Tamarind or Indian date, Dominican name: tamarindo (Tamarindo)

Tamarind or Indian date Tamarind or Indian date

Plant from the legume family – fruit and spice “in one person”. Its fruits are curved pods of a brownish-brown color with white flesh and a large number of hard seeds. Sour taste, but as it matures, it becomes sweeter. Green fruits are used as spices, and ripe fruits are used to prepare desserts and drinks. The plant has laxative properties. It is considered a fairly strong female aphrodisiac.

Jagua or genipa, Dominican name: Jagua

Jagua or genipa Jagua or genipa

Another rare fruit, belongs to the madder family. It has a thin, pollen-covered skin and creamy flesh, reminiscent of marmalade in texture and turning yellow in the air. When fully ripe, the fruits are edible, but are more often used to produce juices, ice cream, and jelly. When exposed to the air, the colorless juice of unripe fruits acquires a rich purple color and is used to create temporary tattoos.

Cereza, Dominican name: Cereza dominicana

CerezaCeresa

Dominican analogue of cherries or sweet cherries, used to obtain juices and fruit drinks, and also included in many dishes and sauces for meat. Ceres contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals, is used in the treatment of kidney diseases, rheumatism, in the form of tea – for the treatment of influenza.

Chompu, “wax” or “rose” apple, Dominican name: “water apple” (Manzana de agua)

Chompu, “wax” or “pink” apple Chompu, “wax” or “pink” apple

Fruit tree of the myrtle family.