A package arrived today from the United States Virgin Island. Similar to the British Burgin Islands, except it is owned by the United States, not Britain. In the box was 3 big bunches of Kenip! I haven't had these tasty fruits since I was a child.
The children were so delighted to taste a new exotic fruit that they have never had.
The older ones could try them by themselves. The Kenip fruit has a green leathery skin that cracks perfectly in the middle to expose the sweet acidy pulp.
Kenip fruit has a hard kernel in the center covered by a layer of the sweet jelly-like pulp.
This could be a choking hazard for the little children. So I held the kernel in my hand and let them suck on the tasty fruits flesh.
Inside the kernel we were able to easily break it open and expose the nut in the center.
At first glance it looked like a cashew or the inside of a Brazil nut, but with one taste we realized it doesn't taste nutty. It has the texture of a nut, but it was bitter and moist. In the Virgin Island they roast the nutty kernels before enjoying them. This could be why it was bitter and moist tasting.
I am so surprised my aunt was able to send these through customs!
The taste of these brought a familiar feeling of childhood comfort. It was a treat to experience this feeling on this fine day. The Kenip tree is native to northern South America and was introduced to Asia and Africa. In the Virgin Islands it was brought over by American Indians who naturalized it to there. The leaves and stems are used to treat coughs and fever. The fruit is used to treat diarrhea. The Kenip tree has a large vertically straight trunk that is used for construction and charcoal. The fragrant flower clusters growing on the end, make the Kenip tree an island beauty!
The scientific name of the Kenip is Melicoccus bijugatus, and they are also known as Spanish limes, although you cannot squeeze any juice out of these.
St. Croix has an abundant of fruit this year.
You can just pick them off the trees at the sides of the road. Mangoes, passion fruit, and sour sop are growing abundantly! My father would climb these tall trees and fill up bags of them when we lived on St. Croix.
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed writing about it. I'm going to go eat more Kenips now!
Excuse the fuzzy on my finger . I just opened the box.
Source: http://www.gotostcroix.com/plants-animals/fruit-kenip/Thanks
