Other plants we saw in Josué’s garden are not native to South America, but have come to this region by various routes. Some of them may be familiar, other you may have never seen growing, and still others may be completely unknown.
Noni (Morinda citrifolia)
This fruit is native to Southeast Asia and is eaten raw or cooked. The tree has many uses in indigenous cultures. Although it is best known for its rotten smell and taste, it’s also known as ‘rotten cheese fruit’. It’s said to have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and many other properties, although there is no scientific evidence to support this. At least we know now that we won’t taste it again.
Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum)
Rambutan is a member of the lychee family. It comes from Malaysia and its flesh is sweet with a hint of sourness. The seeds must be spat out as they’re poisonous.
Star fruit (Averrhoa carambola)
The carambola’s shape resembles a star and it is often used to decorate cocktails. It is native to Asia, although it is now quite common in the Amazon. So far we have been unlucky, all the fruits we have found have been sour. Even monkeys leave them hanging because they don’t like the taste.
Kumquat (Citrus japonica)
A citrus fruit from China that is rich and fresh tasting, but very acidic, so it is often prepared as a chutney.
Cloves (Syzygjum aromaticum)
Essentially a fruit that we eat as a spice, cloves are obtained from flower buds that have not yet opened. It is mainly harvested around the Indian Ocean.
Citrus fruits
All the citrus fruits we have tasted have been delicious. They were neither too sour nor too sweet. They are all large fruits to be eaten as such or great for juices. The champagne orange, which takes its name from the champagne colour of its flesh. The seven-flavoured orange, a hybrid that combines the flavours of grapefruit, mandarin, lemon, lime and orange. Actually, they only mention five flavours, so we’re not quite sure where the name comes from. But it was the perfect fruit to eat after trying the noni.
