Biriba

What it is

A biriba usually measures 9–15 cm (3.5–6 in) across. It can be round, heart-shaped or irregular, with a smooth surface or rows of soft points. It turns yellow as it matures. Inside, the white pulp is soft, sweet and aromatic, like custard, and holds about 20–50 seeds.

Those soft points bruise easily: handling a fully ripe fruit can turn them brown or nearly black.

Where it comes from

Biriba is native to humid tropical America, from southern Mexico through the Amazon Basin to southern Brazil. In Amazonia, people gather it from wild and semi-wild trees and grow it in backyards and small orchards. Seeds from Pará, Brazil, reached the United States in 1908; today the fruit also has a small local market in Hawaiʻi.

How it's eaten where it grows

Biriba is usually eaten fresh, out of hand. In Brazil it is often juiced, sometimes blended with milk for a drink, and it has also been made into wine. One Hawaiʻi recipe for rollinia soufflé combines the purée with coconut extract and cream, then folds in beaten egg whites before baking.

An Australian rollinia mousse takes another route to an airy dessert: melted marshmallows help set the purée, and whipped cream is folded through the mixture.

How it's grown

The tree grows fast in warm, humid conditions with moist, well-drained soil. Seed-grown trees generally begin fruiting in three to four years. Growers prune orchard trees to roughly 4–8 m (13–26 ft) for easier picking. Each flower opens in a female phase before becoming male, which favours pollen from other flowers and trees.

When and where you'll find it

In Amazonia, fruit is usually most abundant from January to June; around Rio de Janeiro, it usually ripens in February and March. In Hawaiʻi, farm stands, farmers’ markets and health food stores are local routes to the whole fruit. Its fragile skin and rapid softening limit long-distance trade. The pulp also becomes juices, nectars, smoothies and frozen desserts.