Fruit Friday: Uchuva

This week’s fruit is the elusive uchuva. It has all kinds of names all over the world, which you can read about here. It is native to the Andes due to the high altitude (like most fruits here). Apparently it has some medicinal properties such as being an anti-inflammatory. Here is what it looks like:

They’re small and mini-tomato shaped. I remember when we’d go to the market they would be in big buckets and my mom would grab a handful and pop them in her mouth. The first time I tried it they were not ripe yet, so they tasted sour. Usually they have a sweet, tart taste, Syd says like mandarin oranges. This is what it looks like right off the tree:
And here is a picture for size comparison.

And that’s Fruit Friday. Tune in next week for a truly exotic fruit.