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Belize
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Bahamas
Belize
Jamaica
St. Lucia
ackee
Blighia sapida; A fruit of the soapberry family native to West Africa that was introduced to the Caribbean. It is the national fruit of Jamaica, and features prominently in Jamaican cuisine where it is an ingredient in the the national dish 'ackee and saltfish'. The fruit changes in colour from yellowish-green to a reddish orange as it matures. When ripe, the pods open to reveal two to three fleshy white or cream coloured arils. The arils are the only edible part of the fruit. The fruit must be allowed to open fully before harvesting as unripe and unopened fruit is poisonous and may cause ackee poisoning or Jamaican Vomiting Sickness (toxic hypoglycemic syndrome).
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fruit
national symbol
122 comments
Barbados
Belize
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
St. Kitts & Nevis
Cayman Islands
St. Lucia
Trinidad & Tobago
St. Vincent
US Virgin Islands
breadfruit
Tree and fruit native to the Pacific Islands and Malaysia that was brought to the West Indies in the 18th century. The fruit is large with a rough green skin with small hexagonal markings. Some varieties have a spiky exterior. The flesh is white, cream coloured or yellow and has a high starch content. It is eaten boiled, roasted, or fried as a staple food.
food
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fruit
29 comments
Barbados
Belize
Dominica
Guyana
Jamaica
St. Kitts & Nevis
Trinidad & Tobago
calabash
A gourd that is used for utilitarian purposes, and not for food. The skin or shell of the large green fruit hardens to become wood-like when dry. The shell can then be carved and is used to make a variety of items including cups, and bowls and decorative pieces.
plant
7 comments
Belize
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
St. Vincent
callaloo
Aramanth - an edible green leafy vegetable resembling spinach. It is typically prepared by steaming, often with saltfish
plant
food
12 comments
Barbados
Belize
Grenada
Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago
cerasee
A variety of bitter melon plant (Momordica charantia). A vine bearing a small bumpy skinned yellow or orange fruit. The leaves are used to make a bitter herbal tea that his regarded for its medicinal and purgative properties
plant
27 comments
Belize
Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago
chocho
Chayote. Edible pear shaped green vegetable of the squash family. The vegetable bears on vines and comes in smooth skinned and prickly skinned varieties. It is typically eaten boiled or in soups.
food
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fruit
13 comments
Belize
cohune
A species of palm tree native to Belize, southern Mexico and most of Central America.
plant
Belize
damsel
A round fruit about the size of a tennis ball. It has a glossy leathery skin that is either green, purple, or some combination of the two colours. Inside is a purple and white milky flesh that exhibits a distinct star pattern. The fruit is sweet and eaten raw
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plant
fruit
11 comments
Bahamas
Belize
Trinidad & Tobago
US Virgin Islands
egg fruit
Canistel; A bright yellow ovoid fruit with a pointed tip. It is related to the sapodilla and is edible. The flesh tends to be dryer than other sapodillas and the texture is similar to that of a hardboiled egg yolk.
food
plant
2 comments
Antigua & Barbuda
Anguilla
Barbados
Bahamas
Belize
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
St. Kitts & Nevis
Cayman Islands
St. Lucia
Turks & Caicos
Trinidad & Tobago
St. Vincent
British Virgin Isles.
ganja
Marijuana; Cannabis
plant
3 comments
Belize
golden plum
Ambarella. An edible fruit growing on large trees up to 30m. The fruits have thick, sometimes leathery skin and dendritic (fibrous or hairy) seeds. While unripe, the flesh is crisp and firm with a tart acidic taste. As it ripens, it turns yellow, becomes soft and develops a sweet taste and fragrant smell. Both ripe and unripe fruits can be eaten raw. It is also often prepared by juicing, stewing with ginger and sugar, pickling with peppers and spices, or made into chow.
plant
food
fruit
6 comments
Antigua & Barbuda
Bahamas
Belize
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
St. Kitts & Nevis
Cayman Islands
US Virgin Islands
guinep
Ovoid green fruit that grows in bunches on trees up to 30m high. The fruit typically ripen during the summer. The fruit is related to the lychee and have tight, thin but rigid skins. Inside the skin is the tart, tangy, or sweet pulp of the fruit covering a large seed. The pulp is usually cream or orange coloured.
fruit
food
plant
56 comments
Belize
Dominica
Jamaica
St. Kitts & Nevis
US Virgin Islands
jimbilin
The tree and fruit of Phyllanthus acidus. The intermediate sized tree produces small, flattened, multi-lobed, berries with a high acid content. The tart yellow berries are edible raw, but most often stewed with sugar, ginger and other spices.
food
fruit
plant
78 comments
Belize
kanizte
Canistel; A bright yellow ovoid fruit with a pointed tip. It is related to the sapodilla and is edible. The flesh tends to be dryer than other sapodillas and the texture is similar to that of a hardboiled egg yolk.
food
plant
1 comments
Antigua & Barbuda
Bahamas
Belize
Dominica
Haiti
St. Kitts & Nevis
Trinidad & Tobago
US Virgin Islands
kenep
Ovoid green fruit that grows in bunches on trees up to 30m high. The fruit typically ripen during the summer. The fruit is related to the lychee and have tight, thin but rigid skins. Inside the skin is the tart, tangy, or sweet pulp of the fruit covering a large seed. The pulp is usually cream or orange coloured.
food
fruit
plant
65 comments
Belize
kraabu
A fruit tree, the yellow berries of the tree (Brysonima crassifolia).
food
fruit
plant
7 comments
Belize
mali apple
Otaheite apple; Pear shaped fruit with red skin and white flesh. Typically, they contain a single large seed. However, they may occasionally be seedless. The fruit is sweet and is usually eaten raw or used to make drinks.
food
plant
fruit
Barbados
Belize
Grenada
Jamaica
Montserrat
Trinidad & Tobago
mammee apple
Round fruit between 5 and 9 inches in diameter. The fruit has rough brown skin and contains a single large seed. The flesh of unripe fruit is hard and becomes soft when fully ripened. The fruit is edible with tastes ranging from sour to sweet and reminiscent of apricots.
food
fruit
plant
47 comments
Belize
nero
A variety of chili pepper similar to the habanero.
plant
food
2 comments
Barbados
Bahamas
Belize
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
St. Kitts & Nevis
Trinidad & Tobago
noni
Morinda citrifolia otherwise known as 'Noni'. Foul smelling and bitter tasting fruit that commonly grows on small trees close to the sea. The fruit is initially green, but turns white or pale yellow upon ripening.
fruit
plant
14 comments
Antigua & Barbuda
Belize
Dominica
Guyana
Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago
St. Vincent
okro
A green fruit bearing on plants up to 6 ft tall. The fruit are fingerlike with a pentagonal cross section and taper to a long point. It is often cooked by boiling or steaming and in some areas is regarded as an aphrodisiac.
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6 comments
Belize
papaya
A torpedo, oval, or pear shaped fruit. The fruit bears on a large leafed tree up to 10m tall. When green, it is cooked as if a vegetable. The flesh contains an enzyme named papain that serves as an effective meat tenderiser. When ripe it is yellowish-orange in colour. The flesh is bright orange, soft, and sweet. The insides are hollow containing a lots of seeds with each seed contained in a small liquid filled sac. The seeds and the fluid surrounding them have a bitter taste.
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fruit
1 comments
Antigua & Barbuda
Barbados
Belize
Jamaica
pear
Avocado. Edible pear shaped or round fruit with an egg shaped seed. The flesh is green on the outside and turns yellow closer to the seed.
food
plant
fruit
2 comments
Belize
Dominican Republic
quenepa
Ovoid green fruit that grows in bunches on trees up to 30m high. The fruit typically ripen during the summer. The fruit is related to the lychee and have tight, thin but rigid skins. Inside the skin is the tart, tangy, or sweet pulp of the fruit covering a large seed. The pulp is usually cream or orange coloured.
food
plant
2 comments
Belize
sapra
The tree and fruit of Phyllanthus acidus. The intermediate sized tree produces small, flattened, multi-lobed, berries with a high acid content. The tart yellow berries are edible raw, but most often stewed with sugar, ginger and other spices.
food
fruit
plant
Barbados
Bahamas
Belize
Grenada
Jamaica
Montserrat
St. Vincent
US Virgin Islands
sea grape
A small green fruit resembling grapes both in individual appearance, and the fact that it grows in bunches. Some fruit become tinged with red or purple as they ripen. The fruits can be quite sweet, but tend to have a salty astringent taste, particularly when not fully ripe. The plants grow in areas close to the sea.
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8 comments
Belize
sorosi
A variety of bitter melon plant (Momordica charantia). A vine bearing a small bumpy skinned yellow or orange fruit. The leaves are used to make a bitter herbal tea that his regarded for its medicinal and purgative properties
plant
1 comments
Aruba
Barbados
Bonaire
Bahamas
Belize
Curacao
Dominica
Grenada
Jamaica
St. Lucia
St. Vincent
US Virgin Islands
soursop
The edible fruit of Annona muricata, a broadleaf, flowering, evergreen tree native to Mexico, Cuba, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. The flesh of the fruit consists of an edible, white pulp, some fiber, and a core of indigestible, black seeds. The sweet pulp is used to make juice, as well as candies, sorbets, and ice cream flavorings.
food
fruit
plant
16 comments
Belize
Guyana
Jamaica
star apple
A round fruit about the size of a tennis ball. It has a glossy leathery skin that is either green, purple, or some combination of the two colours. Inside is a purple and white milky flesh that exhibits a distinct star pattern. The fruit is sweet and eaten raw
food
plant
fruit
19 comments
Belize
Dominica
Guyana
Jamaica
star fruit
Carambola; A fruit with a star shaped cross section. As it ripens it turns from green to yellow. The fruit has a tart taste and is a good source of vitamin C.
food
plant
4 comments