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Tropical Food Facts

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Breadfruit

Breadfruit and Jack Fruit

Breadfruit, Artocarpus altilis, is a species of flowering trees related to the mulberry, and came originally from the Malay Peninsula and possibly Polynesia.  The trees

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Akee

Ackee or Akee

Ackee or Akee, Blighia sapida, is native to tropical West Africa.  It is related to the lychee and longon, although it doesn’t look anything like

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Cupuassu

Cupacu

Cupuacu, Theobroma Grandiflorum, is a close relative to cacao (chocolate).  It grows on trees that can reach up to 45 feet or more in the

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CoconutsYoung

Coconut

Coconut, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the palm family, which thrives nearly worldwide in lowland, moist, tropical and sub-tropical climates.  Botanically, coconuts are a

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Chayote

Chayote

Chayote, Sechium edule, is a member of the gourd family, along with cucumbers, melons and squash.  It is a trailing vine that produces large leaves

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BananasandPlantains

Bananas and Plantains

The Banana, Musa acuminata, originated in the Indo-Malaysian tropical jungles and early wild varieties were found as far south as northern Australia. It is an

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Cherimoya and Atemoya

Cherimoya, Annona cherimola, is a delicious tropical fruit.  Originally from Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, the cherimoya is a large, green, slightly heart-shaped fruit from a

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Avocado

Avocado

Avocado, Persea Americana, is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America.  “Avocado” so-named for its shape, comes from the Nahuatl word “ahuacatl” which

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Amazon Tree Grape

Amazon tree grape, Pourouma cecropiaefolia, is indigenous to the Amazon rainforests of Western Brazil and adjacent areas of Peru and Ecuador, and has been cultivated

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Acerola Fruit

Acerola fruit or Acerola cherry is variously known as the Barbados Cherry, West Indian Cherry, Cereza, Cerisier and Semeruco.  It is believed to have originated along

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Iced Tea — The Summer Refresher

Courtesy of Annaliese Keller: www.malabartradingco.com It’s summer and time to leave behind the teapot, cups and saucers, milk and little finger sandwiches and pastries, and

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Tea 101

Courtesy of Annaliese Keller:www.malabartradingco.com What is Tea? Tea is the second-most consumed drink in the world, surpassed only by water. An often-surprising fact to tea

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The Butterfly Effect

Spice News: This Blog Helps Veracruz Coffee Grower Find a Market in South Korea Courtesy of Courtenay Dunk: www.spicelines.com You’ve heard of the “butterfly effect,”

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Chocolate Tempering: Seeded Method

Courtesy of Chef Stephany Buswell: www.chefany.com This is one of the easiest methods of tempering chocolate. The chunks of tempered chocolate “seed” the melted chocolate

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Vanilla in Tahiti

There are several styles of vanilla growing in Tahiti. There are traditional family plantations of several hectares or less, where the entire family cares for

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