Acerola

What it is

Also called Barbados cherry, acerola is Malpighia emarginata, a tropical shrub in the Malpighiaceae family. Its fruit measures about 1.25–2.5 cm (½–1 in) across. The glossy red skin covers juicy orange flesh, and three faint lobes give the fruit a slightly ridged shape.

Inside are three stones, each able to hold a seed. They look large next to the flesh, but they are light and pithy, only about 20 percent of the fruit's weight.

Where it comes from

Acerola comes from tropical America. Its native range includes the Lesser Antilles, from St Croix to Trinidad, and parts of northern South America extending into Brazil. It is also cultivated beyond that home range, including southern Florida, India and Australia.

How it's eaten where it grows

In the Dominican Republic, dulce de cereza en almíbar turns acerolas into a chilled dessert. The fruit boils with cinnamon, cloves and brown sugar until the cherries are soft and the syrup begins to thicken, then it's chilled before serving.

In Hawaii, a home recipe called Banola slices bananas into acerola juice mixed with sugar. It's chilled and served with grated coconut, if you like.

How it's grown

Acerola grows as a bushy shrub, though pruning can shape it into a small tree with one trunk. Growers start new plants from cuttings. In Hawaii, it flowers in cycles about a month apart from April into November, and each fruit ripens about three weeks after its flower opens.

Ripe acerolas bruise easily and spoil fast: processors keep them no more than 3 days at 7 °C (45 °F).

When and where you'll find it

In Hawaii, the best crop usually runs from May through November. Fresh acerola is delicate and short-lived; frozen, it's good for juice, sauce and purée, though the thawed fruit turns too soft for a fruit salad.

Frozen pulp is the usual form away from the trees. Weee, a US online Asian grocer, lists Icefruit acerola pulp in 400 g packs. In Brazil, Sítio do Bello packs plain pulp in four 100 g sachets, with no added water or sugar.