Akebi Fruit (Akebia quinate)

 

Akebia fruit commonly known as chocolate vine, five-leaf chocolate vine, or five-leaf akebia is a mysterious and beautiful fruit native to China, Korea and to the North of Japan.

Akebia comes from the Japanese vernacular name, akebi.

 

The translucent white flesh inside, filled with countless white capped shiny black seeds is eaten as fruit. The fruit tastes like a combination of banana, passionfruit, and lychee, but the seeds are rather bitter.

 

Unbeknownst to many, the purple pod can be cooked and eaten as well.

The dried rinds have been used in Japanese fertility festivals and due to their vulva-like appearance it is thought to increase the fertility of women, although there is no scientific evidence to support these claims.

 

It is grown as an ornamental plant in the United States, Canada and Europe.

 

Eating unripe fruit is not recommended.

Fruit of the Ackee Tree (Blighia sapida)

 

Ackee (also known as acki, akee, or ackee apple), is a fruit of the Sapindaceae (soapberry) family, as are the lychee and the longan. It is native to tropical West Africa. The scientific name honours Captain William Bligh who took the fruit from Jamaica to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England, in 1793.

 

In the region of the Americas, it is known under various names, such as “Arbre à fricasser” in Haiti, “yeux de crabe” or “ris de veau” in Martinique, “fruto de huevo” in Panama and Guatemala, “árbol de seso” in Cuba, “merey del diablo” in Venezuela, “pan y quesito” in Colombia, or “pero roja” in Mexico.

 

The pear-shaped fruit has a bright red exterior and a creamy white interior with black seeds. When ripe, the fruit splits open to reveal three large black seeds surrounded by a soft, creamy yellow flesh.

 

Imported to Jamaica from West Africa before 1773, the use of ackee in Jamaican cuisine is prominent.

Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica, whilst ackee and saltfish is the official national dish of Jamaica. (Saltfish 'n Ackee is the preferred breakfast of Quarrel in the James Bond novel, Dr. No)

 

Although having a long-held reputation as being poisonous with potential fatalities, the fruit arils are renowned as delicious when ripe, prepared properly. It contains a toxic compound called hypoglycin A and B, which can cause vomiting, seizures, and even death if consumed before it has fully ripened. (As the fruit ripens, the seeds act as a sink whereby the hypoglycin A in the arils convert to hypoglycin B in the seeds. In other words, the seeds help in detoxifying the arils, bring the concentration of hypoglycin A to a level which is generally safe for consumption.)

 

The ackee in the FoodMuseum is “smiling” which means that toxicity has been eliminated and the fruit can be picked. The seeds are discarded and the fresh, firm arils are parboiled in salted water or milk, and may be fried in butter.

 

Ackee canned in brine is a commodity item and is used for export by Jamaica, Haiti and Belize. (W.Africa)

 

KEPEL ( Stelechocarpus burahol )

 

Kepel is a very rare and endangered tree from Central Java, Indonesia. The fruit grows on the lower trunk and has a sweet mango-like taste.

 

The fruits are an identity flora of Daerah Istimewa Jogjakarta. It was loved by Javanese princesses because it was a symbol of unity and mental and physical integrity. Many common people did not have this tree planted because they believed they would get cursed. That made this tree rare.

The fruit was also believed to be used by the Javanese princesses as contraception.

 

The fruit of this species has traditionally also been known in Java to have value as an oral deodorant. Out of the pulp, seed and peel, the peel has the best adsorbent ability. A 2012 study showed that it reduced the odor of feces by activating the probiotic bacteria Bifidobacterium bifidum. S. burahol is also an antihyperuricemic, and has traditionally been used to treat gout.

Fiddleheads (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

 

Fiddleheads, also known as fiddle greens, are the coiled growing tips of ostrich ferns.

 

The flavor is unique and vegetative, being somewhat like asparagus, green beans and artichokes. The texture is pleasantly chewy. Fiddleheads are reputed to be a good source of vitamins A, C and K.

 

Preparation is simple. The ferns should be rinsed and the stem ends trimmed before steaming, simmering or sautéing. They also can be pickled, but should not be eaten raw. Fiddleheads contain an unknown toxin that causes severe stomach upset bordering on food poisoning. Always blanch, boil, or steam before eating.

 

Fiddleheads should be eaten soon after purchase, although they may be stored for a few days, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator, if need be. They can also be stored in water in the fridge for up to a week if you change the water every two days.

 

In preparation for eating, the fiddleheads must be cleaned of their brown-colored silk, which resembles the inside skin of a roasted peanut, but is not tasty. This is most easily accomplished with the aid of a garden hose, and some sort of screening device.

 

Blanching the fiddleheads is a must if they are to be frozen (which the recommended way of storing them, for up to eighteen months) and is also preferable if they are to be eaten immediately. This removes the bitterness from the plant, which can cause stomach upset for some. Blanching is done by bringing the cleaned fiddleheads just to a boil in a large pot of water, and then immediately rinsing them and disposing of the water. One will notice that the water has turned black.

After the rinse, either return them to the pot (with fresh water) to resume cooking, or plunge them in ice cold water to stop the internal cooking process, and then place them in freezer bags, and then into the freezer.

 

Cooked fiddleheads are done when they have lost their crunchiness, but not become soggy. This is al dente cooking. Served with real butter, and salt, some people also like to add a little cider vinegar. Their subtle flavor interpolates between sweet, mild asparagus and an un-bitter version of cooked baby spinach.

 

Most of the greens sold as fiddleheads are immature ostrich ferns of northeastern North America, which are safe for most people to eat. However, if wild-gathered, care should be taken to ensure that the fiddleheads are ostrich ferns. Cinnamon ferns (Osmundastrum cinnamomeum) and interrupted ferns (Osmunda claytoniana) are often mistaken for ostrich ferns, though easy to tell apart if one knows what to look for. Ostrich fiddleheads are not covered with wool and have a groove running up the stem. Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) is considered carcinogenic. Fiddleheads must be broken off with the flick of the wrist and never cut, as cutting prevents the plant from regenerating.

Horned Melon (Cucumis metuliferus)

 

The African horned cucumber is also known as horned melon, spiked melon, jelly melon, or kiwano. It is an annual vine in the cucumber and melon family Cucurbitaceae.

 

Its fruit has horn-like spines, hence the name "horned melon".

C. metuliferus is native to South Africa (kiwano), Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe (gaka or gakachika), Mozambique, and Angola

 

Along with the gemsbok cucumber (Acanthosicyos naudinianus) and tsamma (citron melon), the kiwano it is one of the few sources of water during the dry season in the Kalahari Desert.

 

The ripe fruit has orange skin and lime-green, jelly-like flesh. It can be eaten at any stage of ripening.

The fruit's taste has been compared to a combination of banana and passionfruit, cucumber and zucchini or a combination of banana, cucumber and lime. A small amount of salt or sugar can increase the flavor, but the seed content can make eating the fruit less convenient than many common fruits.

Some also eat the peel, which is very rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber.