Their season has passed but chunta season is just starting.
For people from Archidona, a county in Napo province, chunta is very important.
They get their protein from the worms that eat the tree and their carbonhydrates from the fruits that the palm tree gives.
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| Chunta fruit |
Chunta fruit isn't very fruity or juicy.
For me it's a mix of potato with bread.
But it is delicious.
I prefer to eat it with salt but a lot of people here eat it with honey.
To prepare a chunta fruit is very easy.
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| Cooking chunta, you just need clear water, no salt. |
You just need to cook it and peel it.
It is a very hard fruit, so it needs a lot of time cooking.
But when it gets soft and cooked enough to be eaten, the skin peels easily away.
Then you can dip it in the salt and enjoy like I do.
Or cover it with honey and enjoy like many Kichwas do.
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| Enjoying the chunta. You just need to peel it and eat it. No hassle. Would you like to read the post about Chuntakurus in Tena, Ecuador? |
I would try this over the worms for sure.. They look like they would taste better to me..
ReplyDeleteDon't think I never have heard of this fruit before:) But they look yummy.
ReplyDeleteLooks like it would be very yummy. Can you cook it like a potato? Mashed chuntas? It would be hard for me to convince myself to eat the worms though.
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to eat the worms, Christine. They live in the tree, not in the fruits. I think you cannot not mash them like potatoes, they don't have enough starch to do it. But they need to be cooked like a potatoe.
DeleteI have never heard of this fruit before! How neat! You lost me with the worms though.. lol. To each his own!
ReplyDeleteI enver heard of or seen this fruit before. It's so nice to learn something new!!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried chunta fruit before, and would be interested in trying. I remember before kiwi fruit was a staple, and now it is a mainstay of north american diets.
ReplyDeleteThat is so true, Jenna. Fruits and vegetable are very global now and can become a household staple in a very little time.
DeleteI've never had or heard of any fruit like this, but it looks great!
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting to learn about this new fruit.
ReplyDeleteI would love to taste it!
I hope you get the chance, Colette
DeleteThese remind me of some of the fruit/seeds of the palm trees I grew up with in Florida. We didn't eat them though, just by looks. I think culturally we have a hard time with the worms, but I know bugs are a great source of protein, and most people don't realize that lobster and shrimp are related to insects too! I think I would probably like my fruit best with honey :)
ReplyDeleteIt is so much about what we are used to. But you don't need to eat the worms to be able to eat the fruits. The worm lives in the wood, not in the fruit.
DeleteThe chunta looks familiar. It reminds me of a fruit grown back home in the country... ;-)
ReplyDeleteA very interesting fruit. Thanks for explaining how to eat it.
ReplyDeleteI've seen this fruit in the farmer's markets before in South Florida but have never known what to do with it. It looks sort of fibrous, could you bake with it? I wonder if it would be good in a quick bread with bananas or nuts?
ReplyDeleteI think it might be a good ingredient, Jessica. You need to try to see how it bakes but the taste would go together with banana and nuts. But I would cook it first.
DeleteI''ve never heard of that before. It does look yummy! I'll have to keep my eye out for it. I love trying new fruit.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a really interesting fruit
ReplyDeleteIt looks kind of like a persimmon to me. I bet it would be good baked into muffins.
ReplyDeleteChunta muffins! I like the sound of that!
DeleteDon't know what happened to my comment so here it is again.
ReplyDeletePotato and bread sound much better than the worms although judging from the picture, you are still unsure if you like it or not :) You're very brave for testing all this new stuff.
I will blame my friend who took the picture, Petro ;) Actually I don't like people taking pictures of me. I do like the fruit, lol
DeleteVery interesting. I am always amazed at the different foods in different countries. My daughter visited Thailand and shared lots of photos and stories about foods she tried.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a chunta but it looks good! It definitely looks better than the worms! :) I love to try new foods!
ReplyDeleteI'd try this one. :) I think dipping it salt would be the way I would like it too.
ReplyDeleteLooks delicious! Kinda reminds me of sharons, but I hope these taste better :)
ReplyDeleteSharon is very different, Tory. These are really hard and need to be cooked first. And sharon is acidy while chunta has a very mild taste.
DeleteI have seen this fruit here in the states at the fruit stand, I wondered what it was!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this fruit before. Looks interesting!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of it before. But it looks like it would taste great. I love most fruit.
ReplyDeleteI love learning about native fruits that are local to other parts of the world. I have never heard of this fruit before but I am sure they are delicious!
ReplyDeleteI went and read the worm one, yucky. I am NOT coming to visit thanks. The fruits, I would do. :) Thanks for linking to Turn it up Tuesday!
ReplyDeleteHi Joanna,
ReplyDeleteIt's always delightful to be exposed to a wonderful new food from another country or culture. Chunta sounds so simple, wholesome and delicious. I can see from your face that you enjoyed eating Chunta--much like the people of Archidona. Thank you so much for sharing this beautiful and enlightening post on the Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural Blog Hop! I appreciate it!
All the best, Deborah
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