The Caribbean boasts a huge variety of delicious fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices. Take a look at some of the produce available in various Caribbean islands.
This is for information only and NOT for sale!
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STAR APPLE – a purple-skinned fruit which must be picked and rippened off the tree. The white flesh is rather tasteless and the pips are arranged in star formation.
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ACKEE – grows on trees and is found all over Jamaica. It’s very poisonous when unripe, when ripe, the fruit splits to show three large black seeds. Yellowish flesh, when cooked resembles scrambled eggs.
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AUBERGINE – usually known as egg plant, garden egg or melongene.
Bluggoe Grenada
BLUGGOE – Part of the banana family. Similar to Plantain and must be cooked. Angular shaped outer skin.
Breadfruit Tree Grenada
BREADFRUIT – a large rough skinned vegetable which grows on trees and can weigh up to 4 lb. It is one of the staple foods of the islands.
CASSAVA
CASSAVA – a thin root containing prussic acid which must be grated, boiled or roasted to extract the poison. It then becomes a flour when ground and makes cassava bread and other various dishes including farine.
christophene
CHOCHO/CHRISTOPHENE – sometimes spelt christophine, a pear-shaped member of the melon family with pale green skin and flesh which tastes something like marrow.
COCONUT 1
COCONUT – used unripe (green) and ripe (brown). The white meat of the ripe coconut is used grated, toasted or flaked and the milk made into cream. Green coconuts cintain jelly and water.
MANGO TREE 2
MANGO – grows on large trees, a fruit with greenish-yellow skin, very sweet tasting apricot-coloured pulp and a large stone. Smaller types are stringy but larger varieties. Julies and Bombays are smooth and delicate. Unripe, they can be used for chutney.
Papaya Grenada
PAPAYA/PAWPAW – varies in size and flavour. Skin is greenish or yellow when very ripe, flesh apricot-coloured and delicate, centre filled with peppery black seeds. The pulp contains pepsin and the skin and seeds are useful as meat tenderisers. When unripe, it can be used as a vegetable.
Sapadilla Tree Grenada
SAPODILLA/NASBERRY – fruit about the size of a large plum, brown skinned with sweet, yellowish flesh and several large flat black seeds
Seasoning Pepper
Similar to Scotch Bonnet Pepper, but not as hot. Used in every day meals to season and add flavour.
SORREL
SORREL – the fruit sepals can be used to make a drinks. Sorrel is available in red and white sepals.
Soursop Fruit Grenada
SOURSOP – a large green skinned fruit covered in soft spines. The rather acid white flesh has many black shiny seeds in the centre. Sieved, it makes a creamy drink or ice cream.
Sugar Cane Grenada (3)
SUGAR CANE – Juiced and make into sugar or squeezed to make a delicious drink.