Noni

What it is

A noni measures about 5–10 cm (2–4 in) long and 3–4 cm (1.2–1.6 in) across. It forms as the fruits of a whole flower head join into one fleshy fruit. Ripe noni is soft. Fruit picked at the hard, white stage turns translucent and ready to give up its juice in a day or two.

Where it comes from

Noni grows naturally from India through Southeast Asia to northern Australia and the Pacific islands. Polynesians brought it to Hawaiʻi, where it was first grown for dye and medicine. Today it grows throughout the tropics, in open places near the shore and in disturbed forests.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Myanmar (Burma), unripe noni goes into curries, while ripe fruit is eaten raw with salt. In Nauru, cooked noni mixed with coconut was eaten on long sea voyages. In Hawaiʻi, people ate the ripe fruit raw or cooked when other food was scarce.

In Hawaiʻi, noni juice is sometimes mixed with lilikoi juice, or with raspberry, strawberry or grape flavours, to make it easier to drink. A freshly pressed juice has a fruitier flavour than an aged, fermented one.

How it's grown

Noni is a small evergreen tree or shrub that can take root in harsh places, including coral atolls and lava flows. Under good growing conditions it can start bearing nine months to a year after planting. Pickers take individual fruits from the branches by hand; the first crops are small. It grows in full sun and deep shade, so it can live beneath taller trees as well as in open plantings along sunny roadsides.

When and where you'll find it

In Hawaiʻi, noni is usually harvested throughout the year, with somewhat less fruit in winter, and a field is usually picked two or three times a month. The ripe fruit is pressed or left to drip into juice, which is filtered and bottled. The pulp can also be chopped, dried and ground into powder.