This morning, my mother asked me if I had used anything with alcohol during the night. With a baffled expression on my face, I replied that I hadn't. It turns out that a new acquired batch of makapruim was the culprit. My mother had covered it and a bit of fermentation apparantly took place
I have dilligently googled makapruim, and I have not found an English name for it. It's a small fruit, with a mix of red and yellow colored skin. At the peak of its ripeness, it's deliciously soft and juicy. Even before finishing with the first piece of fruit, your mind already looks forward to the next time that you can let your teeth sink in its tasty skin.
Aruba doesn't have that many native fruits, and the ones we do have are not available in abundance. This is because we do have dry weather, but also the lack of people who work in agriculture. Thus when one is able to purchase these fruits, it is a double treat.
Apart from the makapruim, my other favorite native fruit is called the shimarucu, or West Indian Cherry. My highschool had a few trees planted in the middle of the grounds, and in recess you would see students trying all sorts of things to get to the fruits that are more harder to reach.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have a feast with my makapruims.
West Indian Cherry image provided by this site
Your makapruims resemble what we refer to as redcoat plums in Jamaica. The yellow ones we refer to as hog plums because pigs love to eat them. We love to eat them too, in Jamaica.
Posted by: Lor | May 03, 2006 at 09:13 PM
Oh okay, thanks Lor. I had no idea.
Posted by: arubagirl | May 04, 2006 at 07:22 PM
The makapriums look like what we call Jamaica plums or Governor plums in Trinidad.
Shimacru looks like what we call Governor cherries. Do you roll them in your hands to soften them slightly before eating?
Posted by: Georgia/Caribbean Free Radio | May 08, 2006 at 05:15 PM
i know the makapriums as plums in both t+t and bim.
walk good.
Posted by: sweet trini | May 09, 2006 at 06:04 PM
Very interesting article. I recognise those fruits. In Trinidad, the shimarucu is called Governor's Plum (Flacourtia indica). What you call makapruims, we know as Jamaica plum. It can either be yellow and that we call Hog Plum (Spondia mombin) or it can be reddish purple (Spondia purpurea).
The West Indian or Barbados cherry or Acerola (Malphigia glabra) is a totally different fruit from the two pictured above.
Blessings,
Guanaguanare
Posted by: Guanaguanare | May 11, 2006 at 08:11 AM
the second one is not shimarucu (as we know it in aruba) it looks like poison berry to me. i guess the writer put a generic picture the shimarucu goes from flower to green to red. NEVER black
Posted by: gino | November 16, 2006 at 06:59 PM
Origin and Distribution
Native to tropical America.RED MOMBIN, Spondias purpureaOne of the most popular small fruits of the American tropics, the Red Mombin, Spondias purpurea.The red mombin may be a shrub or low-branched small tree 8m in height. The branches are thick and brittle. The tiny, 4- to 5-petalled flowers are red or purple and borne in short, hairy panicles along the branches before the leaves appear which are a beautiful bright-red or purple when young. The fruits are plumlike, borne singly or in groups of 2 or 3,varying in colour from purple to bright-red, even yellow sometimes. They vary in shape and size from 2-5cm. The skin is glossy and firm; the flesh aromatic, yellow, fibrous, very juicy, with a rich, plum-like, subacid to acid flavor. Best eaten fresh for a light refreshing snack, but can also be made into jams, chutney, stewed, boiled or dried.
Posted by: Arleen | February 22, 2007 at 11:09 AM
Hi, the shimarucu is like a cherry with multiple soft seeds in it. It looks like a miniature apple (shape), is red and is yellow on the inside. They are real small, like 1/2 inch not bigger. They are ALWAYS RED, when ripe and green while not ripe.
Posted by: arubamekrazy | June 14, 2007 at 04:33 PM
you are an asowmwe swite because you made me fail my preject on plant about jamaciaba ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppplllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmsssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
Posted by: what's it to ya | December 02, 2007 at 08:32 PM
what the crap is it to ya fugger
Posted by: what's it to ya | December 02, 2007 at 08:33 PM
IN ECUADOR GROWTH ON THE COAST PART OF THE COUNTRY AND WE CALL WITH TWO NAMES *CIRUELAS* AND *OVOS* AND I AM LOOKING FOR A MACHINE FOR TO GET HIS JUICE IF YOU KNOW PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
THANK YOU
RAMON
Posted by: ramon zambrano | October 13, 2008 at 08:05 PM
There are many plants that can be grown in these wetlands like: red maple, silver maple, carpinus carolianiana, quercus phellos etc. No matter which plant you grow, they will definitely serve the purpose of enriching the natural environment and maintaining the ecological balance. The only thing to be kept in mind is that, you must take the proper guidance and also see with what is your aim of doing the plantation.
Posted by: nursery plants | October 15, 2009 at 03:31 PM