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Mulgoba Mango
ONE OF THE "STRINGY" MANGOES fruit is nearly a foot long. The pulp, which is "a little farinaceous, mixed with fibres," is tart and wholesome and so distinctly refrigerant that it is often given fever patients.
The Bengal Quince, Elephant Apple, or Apple-boom (Aegle marmelos) is related to the Citrus fruits and its leaves and manner of growth resemble different Citrus varieties.
The "Bacury" of Brazil (Platonia insignis) has a rather tart pulp containing a few seeds, the whole covered by a hard, smooth rind or shell of a gay yellow hue. The most costly preserves of some parts of Brazil are made, it is said, from this cocoanut-like "Bacury."
The Chilian Myrtle (Myrtus ugin) has a soft, juicy, redbrown fruit, in appearance rather like a "large, black currant." It is particularly used, uncooked, as a simple dessert fruit or in cooling drinks and is delightfully aromatic.
The Capuassa (Deltonia luctea) is a Brazilian fruit tree with extremely heavy foliage and a large-seeded, yellowmeated fruit covered with a hard shell of rough, somewhat furry appearance. Rand says, in describing the strained, crushed, and diluted pulp of this wonderfully fragrant fruit, that the resulting drink, called by courtesy wine, "is worth a voyage across the Atlantic."
The Peach "Palm" (Guielma speciosa) bears a fruit somewhat resembling the apricot, but triangular in form rather than oval. It is used more like a potato, or the cassava, or bread fruit, resembling also somewhat the Spanish chestnut when roasted or otherwise prepared, its ground meal often being made into bread or cakes for baking.
The Madagascar Voa-vanga (Vangueria edulis) produces edible berries nearly an inch in diameter. The Antidesma bunins, a fruit of Java, produces a berry which is red before reaching maturity, when it turns black. It is rather tart and excellent for preserves. A Japanese tree, the Hovenia dulcis, bears a sweet, fleshy and aromatic little fruit of fine flavour.
The Tropical Almond, Terminalia catappa, is not an almond save in name, though it has oily, edible seeds which are used like nuts.
The Jujube (Zizyphus), which has given its name to the famous confection, Jujube Paste (which latter, however, is usually made merely of gum-arabic and sugar and is quite innocent of the Jujube ingredient) has a number of interesting members, among them the true Lotus. The fruit of the common Jujube (J. vulgaris) is not unlike an olive or a date and is ordinarily red, though sometimes yellow, in colour. It is dried and sold as a sweetmeat, so delicious is it in flavour. Also, it is much eaten uncooked, as a dessert-fruit in some places. The Jujube contains a large amount of nourishment and is considered of value medicinally for its demulcent properties. The Sorrel or Roselle Berry (Jamaica Sorrel: Hibiscus subdariffa) is a rival of the currant and mulberry as a jelly-maker. With its juice, however, use only about three-fourths pound of sugar to a pint of juice. The calyxes of the sorrel may be preserved and the young leaves cooked as greens." The colour of the jelly is apt to fade in strong light so the glasses should be wrapped in newspaper and placed in a cool, dark spot. 66 The Spanish Bayonet of the South, belonging to the Yuccas (Yucca baccata) has a magnificent flower stalk rising from the centre of its tall, spiny column, which is succeeded by an equally imposing cluster of curious fruit with thick, tender rind and seeds. The juicy pulp may be prepared for cooking in similar fashion to apples, to which it bears a not distant resemblance in flavour. There are two plants which deserve mention among the fruits from the value to mankind of their roots: the Caladium esculenta, and the Zingiber officinalis, or Ginger Plant.
The Caladium esculenta is one of the most commonly cultivated of all Caladiums but its leaves literally and figuratively overshadow its roots, and the riches of the latter remain undreamed of. It is a very starchy food, considered of more value than Irish potatoes but may be prepared in cookery in much the same way. The Cocco Root, or "Eddoes," of the genus Colocasia, of the same natural order (Araceae) as the Caladiums, is much cultivated for the food value of numerous varieties in the South Seas, in the Himalayas, and in tropical America. Some of the Cocco varieties are a little acrid before cooking and in the raw state rather stimulating. The Caladium, however, is mild. The virtues and delights of the Ginger Root are as familiar as the alphabet whether considered medicinally or culinarily. It is supposed to have been imported originally from India to Africa and the West Indies. The roots are generally dug when about a year old, cleaned and scalded, then dried and shipped, though the "green" ginger is also an article of commerce. The favourite form of ginger is of course, the preserve or confection, and for either one the young, tender roots must be used. (It may be mentioned that the roots of the "Shell Lily, the "Alpinia nutans may be preserved or candied with similar results.) The following are old recipes which may be successfully used with Ginger Root.