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Wednesday 10 april 2024 locAl
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Sea grape, craftsman wine Episode CCLII - 252
Each week, Island Insight shares with you a story of beache’s and bocas in National Park nately arranged leaves are light green
Aruba through the eyes of Etnia Nativa, where we wel- areas. In some places the Sea Greape with often red veins, firm, leathery,
come our guests to an island experience far beyond are kept short to form hedge between hard, rounded, wide, heart-shaped,
their usual expectations. The native ethnicity engages roads. An interesting experiment and a short-stemmed, and up to about 25
you with the mystical aspects of the island, its original way of planting and caring for woody cm wide. Before falling, the leaf turns
culture and its traditional colonial heritage. plants that grow together, and hlods yellow to red. The small, creamy-white
the soil. “Druif di lama” is a prefect flowers have no separate petals or se-
During this episode, we will share valuable information tree type for many Aruban gardens. pals, them grows in numbers of twenty
regarding a plant known locally as “Druif di Lama”, For its great wind resistance and good to fifty in terminal clusters up to 30 cm
which translates in English as Sea grape. Classified as growth along the coast. Gives great long.
(Coccoloba uvifera), a tree that used to be highly shadow and deliciouse fruits The peri- The fruits, are up to 2 cm in size, are
valued for its fruits since ancient times by our native odic salty wind partially burns the thick round or pear-shaped and ripe violet-
Arubans as well as our traditional shipbuilders who ap- leaves but it doesn’t kill the tree. red or light green and them do not
preciated its resistant wood. Sea grape grows quickly with irriga- ripen at the same time within a cluster
tion. It has few problems with diseases and must therefore be picked sepa-
The sea grape is a plant belonging to the Polygona- or pests. Sometimes insects appear on rately. Under the thin, opaque skin is a
ceae family. Although the native belief is that the young leaves, causing them to be- layer of juicy, glassy, reddish, purple, or
plant attracts termites, However if you take good come deformed and partially dry. sometimes greenish-white pulp, up to
care of it, not necessarily it infected with them. Found However as a tree, it produces edible 3 mm thick. The pulp has a sweet and
on the coastal beaches all around the Caribbean “white” or “red” fruits, which contains sour taste. The pulp encloses a whitish,
islands and from Brazil to Florida, including beaches a fruit covered seed. It is an evergreen hard, woody, egg-shaped seed, up to
of Peru. While it is widely cultivated in the Philippines, tree and drought resister over long pe- 1.5 cm in size. The fruits can be con-
growing wild in Hawaii. riods. It can reach heights up to 15 m. sumed as hand fruit or in compote, jam,
Before the coastal area of Aruba were plagued by It is a deeply branched and dioecious, jelly, and juice. Certain places in the
construction, it was common to see large quantities with a short trunk, wide crown, and Caribbean make fruit wine from their
of Sea Greape trees, while currently reduced to a few often horizontal branches. The alter- grapes. For the production of wine, as
the pulp of each grape is very limited
since it has a large seed, the grapes
are lightly boiled and then squeezed in
a very artisanal process, adding water,
sugar, and yeast, and letting it rest for
24 hours in a warm place. After a few
days of fermentation, it will be neces-
sary to check the sugar content in or-
der to bottle it and let it age for no less
than two months.
On Aruba, the Sea grape’s wood, be-
ing an extremely resistant material,
was used for the artisanal construc-
tion of the keel of boats, which is the
flat and elongated structure located
at the bottom of the boat’s hull and is
commonly defined as the boat’s ver-
tebral column as it is essential for its sta-
bility and control.
If knowing more about Aruba is on
your itinerary, Etnia Nativa is your only
choice—a unique native gem! Let
Anthony, our acclaimed cultural col-
umnist, guide and lecture you regard-
ing the most interesting and revealing
stories regarding Aruba’s uncovering
knowledge acquired through gen-
erations of native ethnic presence, an
beyond beaches learning adventure.
Visit his magnificent dwelling that in-
tegrates reused materials with nature,
bursting with culture and island heri-
tage! Whats App +297 592 2702 etni-
anativa03@gmail.comq
