14 Nov 2017

The Calabash Tree: 4. Extracting fruit juice

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Earlier posts on this series: 1. The Plant, 2. Flowers and bees, … 3

One of the fruits of the Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete) dropped from the branch yesterday. It was still green – not sure whether it was because of its weight or because it had ripened. Tinny G Unciano was eager to process the fruit for its juice, being inspired by a YouTube clip she viewed earlier.

The flesh of the Calabash fruit is white.
The flesh of the Calabash fruit is white.

Besides, the plant is called Miracle Fruit in the Philippines as it is reputed to have many health benefits LINK 1, LINK 2, LINK 3, LINK 4, among many others.

During cooking, the white flesh turns black.
During cooking, the white flesh turns black.

Preparation included sawing the fruit into two, scooping out the white pulp, boiling the pulp until it turns black and pouring out the black juice (video below).

We tasted the juice. It was not as bad as it looked. It has a taste of bitterness, sourness, a slight sweetness…?

Tinny drinking the juice. Behind her is a Calabash fruit.
Tinny drinking the juice. Behind her is a Calabash fruit.

Tinny G Unciano & YC Wee
Singapore
19th October 2017

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