First off, I must tell you that I rent from a lady that has a mini-jungle in our shared yard. I love it. It kind of reminds me of Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise (does that even exist anymore?). Anyway, the mini-jungle also comes with exotic birds, iguanas, turtles, countless lizards and geckos, and at least one toad. There are tons of trees and vines and greenery. When I first moved in, I noticed that one of these trees, had perfectly round, green balls, about the size of grapefruits, hanging from it and I had no clue what they were. My kind landlord told me that they are fruits and that I could have some once they were ripe. Joy!
Fast-forward one month: the fruits are falling off the tree and ready to sample.
Caimito or Star Apple
My boyfriend came in one day with about 4 of these green balls in his arms, saying that the lady had given them to him and that they are called something like “guaymito” (at least, that’s what I understood). He grabbed a knife and started eating one immediately, without a clue about how exactly one is supposed to eat it. 5 minutes later, he walked into the room where I was, with a white, sticky, gum-like substance all over his lips. EW! “A piece of advice: don’t eat the rind, skin, or seeds”, he said. Mmm…okay, thanks…I decided I needed to consult Google before trying this out. After about 30 minutes of looking at too many pictures of tropical fruits, I finally figured out what this is: Chrysophyllum cainito. Non-scientists refer to it as Star Apple, but here they call it, Caimito (guaymito…caimito, I was close). This thing is a green ball. Why on earth is it called a Star Apple??!! I sliced it down the middle and saw that the black seeds probably form a little star…if you don’t cut right through them…like I did (see picture). My BFF, Google, also informed me that the skin and rind are rich in latex and are NOT edible. LOL. I took out a spoon and (carefully avoiding the edges) had my first taste: guava-ish and delicious. It has the texture of a guava, with slightly thicker sections that hold the seeds in place. Think of it as a honey-infused guava with a touch of strawberry. Point being: it’s really good.
Strange Tropical Fruit Rating:
Caimito ✭✭✭✭✭ (5 out of 5 stars)
-The Vegetarian Mexican
Mexican Veggie 