Page 18 - AHATA

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local Monday 2 deceMber 2024
Fruit Loose & Veggie Boost: Aruban fruits and vegetables

Fresh fruits make a tropical
holiday’s picture complete.
Whether you see the man-
goes hanging in the trees or
the fresh fruit cocktail on the
side table of your pool bed,
the link is there: you are in
the tropics. Aruba grows
her own fruits and veggies
and there are some pretty
out-of-space local species
you may never had heard
of, but really healthy and have their specific talents
delicious. to boost your immune sys-
Mispel vents the reproduction of tem. Start the day with a
This is a fruit with a charac- ‘batida’ (smoothie) en-
ter (5-10 cm/2-4 inches). bacteria and viruses in the riched with a local veggie
body. This fruit is highly rec-
It does not ripe until it is touch or select your restau-
picked or falls off the tree. ommended to treat lung rant that offers local vege-
infections and urinary tract
Mispel is hard with a sand- table dishes to get the real
paper like texture when infections. It also helps to pure taste of it.
cure insomnia and rejuve-
immature, soft and juicy Comcomber chiquito
when ripe. It’s technically nates the nervous system.
Season: the fruit typically
a berry, but contains a skin This is a sort of local squash,
similar to that of a kiwi. It’s ripen during the summer. Maybe Aruba’s most popu- but looks like a cucumber
Druif
grainy and sweet, with a lar wild fruit tree. You may with prickly skin. The taste
light, musky flavor. The sap There is no chance you have noticed cars at the however is bitterer than the
did not bump into one of
or gum from the tree is also side of the road and peo- cucumber and the vegeta- Bonch’i Cunucu
a source of ‘chicle’ the the sea grape trees while ple picking those red ber- ble is smaller in size but big- A long, small bean, boiled
spending your vacation on
original ingredient used to ries. Well, that’s Shimarucu. ger in width. Inside is a soft, for a side dish or snack.
make chewing gum. Rich in Aruba. The sea grape plant The local habit to stop for fleshy pulp and seeds, just Long beans have a chewy,
is often used in ocean-side
tannins, antioxidants shown these delicious fruits goes like the cucumber. Com- crunchy texture–more so
to contain anti-inflamma- landscaping in sandy soil from generation to genera- comber chiquito is grown than snap beans–and a fla-
right on the beach and it
tory compounds, and vita- tion. Its fruit’s degree of sour in the island and used in vor reminiscent of the dry
min C, essential for healthy produces clusters of fruit depends on the amount salads and ‘stoba’ (stew) navy bean or asparagus.
that resemble grapes. Are
immune function. Season: of rain it gets. Red Shima- or on its own in vinegar. The Besides stir-fry, soups and
year- round. sea grapes edible? Yes, rucus tend to taste bet- veggie contains multiple B salads, the long bean is a
they are. Animals enjoy sea
Kenepa ter than orange. The fruit vitamins, including vitamin good choice for stewing,
Ovoid green fruit that grapes and humans can has super power: a true B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin braising (to remain chewy
eat them as well, and they
grows in bunches on trees vitamin bomb. Adults only B7 (biotin). B vitamins are and firm), sautéing, shal-
up to 30m high. The fruit is are used to make jam. They need to eat 3-4 of these known to help ease feel- low frying, and deep fry-
contain very low calories
related to the lychee and berries to meet their daily ings of anxiety and buffer ing. With cooking, the long
have tight, thin but rigid and sugar, enabling good recommended amount of some of the damaging ef- bean’s bean flavor intensi-
bacterium to digest food
skins. Inside the skin is the Vitamin C. Season: Rainy fects of stress. Additionally fies. Long beans are low in
tart, tangy, or sweet pulp and excrete waste quickly months (Oct-Jan). this veggie is rich in two of calories, about 45 calories
which is effective in pre-
of the fruit covering a large Tamarind the most basic elements per cup, and rich in vitamin
seed. The pulp is usually venting constipation. Sea- A delicious, sweet fruit that needed for healthy diges- A and also contain vitamin
son: Sep-Oct.
cream or orange colored. has a wide variety of uses tion: water and fiber. Sea- C and potassium. Season:
Kenepa strengthens the Shimarucu and applications, both for son: year- round. year-round.
immune system, and pre- medicinal and culinary pur- Pampuna
poses. It is a medium-sized Yambo In the endless summer of
bushy tree with evergreen Family of Okra, also known Caribbean living we only
leaves and fruit that devel- as ‘lady’s fingers’: a green have to concern ourselves
ops in pods characterized flowering plant. Okra be- with a wet season and a
by long, brown shells. In- longs to the same plant dry season. Still we do in-
side is a sticky, fleshy, juicy family as hibiscus and cot- dulge heavily in the plea-
pulp, which is the Tamarind ton. A classic favorite dish sures of pumpkin and enjoy
fruit. Both sweet and sour in Aruba is Sopi di yambo. Caribbean pumpkin reci-
in taste, the fruit contains a It has long been favored pes year round. A popular
significant level of vitamin as a food for the health- dish in Aruban restaurants
C, as well as vitamin E, B vi- conscious. It contains po- is Sopa Di Pompuna, don’t
tamins, calcium, iron, phos- tassium, vitamin B, vitamin miss it. This dish is made of
phorous, potassium, man- C, folic acid, and calcium. pumpkin soup, and parsley.
ganese, and dietary fiber. It’s low in calories and has a Pumpkins are rich in flavo-
There are also a number of high dietary fiber content. noid polyphenolic antioxi-
organic compounds that Recently, a new benefit of dants such as xanthin, lutein
make tamarind a power- including okra in your diet and carotenes and also
ful antioxidant and anti-in- is being considered. Okra contain vitamins. Pumpkin
flammatory agent. Season: has been suggested to seeds are a good source of
March. help manage blood sugar omega-3 fatty acids, vita-
When it comes to veggies in cases of type 1, type 2, mins, minerals and proteins.
the island certainly offers and gestational diabetes. Pumpkins are used to make
a home-grown selection. Season: year- round. desserts, breads and soups.
They taste delicious and