Rainforest plum

What it is

Eugenia candolleana fruit from Domingos Martins, Espírito Santo, averages about 2.4 cm (0.9 in) across and 3.3 cm (1.3 in) long. The ripe pulp there is purple, soft and sweet, with an astringent, mouth-drying edge. The green seed separates easily.

The skin can already be black while the flesh is still firmer, yellowish and slightly acidic. In that partly ripe fruit, the skin clings more closely; on ripe fruit it comes away more easily.

Where it comes from

This is a fruit of Brazil’s coast: sandy coastal plains, restinga scrub and the coastal Atlantic Forest, from the Northeast down to Santa Catarina. Cambuí-roxo and cereja-de-Joinville are two of its names. It is also grown at Colecionando Frutas, a rare-fruit collection at Campina do Monte Alegre in São Paulo state.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Brazil, food writer Neide Rigo simmers cereja-de-Joinville in sugar syrup for about 10 minutes, until the skins wrinkle, then serves it with coconut manjar and caramel sauce. Her manjar is a chilled pudding made with milk, cornstarch, sugar and grated coconut. The fruit cooks without splitting.

With the seeds taken out, the fruit also goes into cakes, juice, ice cream and jelly.

How it's grown

The small, branching tree stays about 2–4 m (7–13 ft) tall. It grows in full sun or among larger trees spaced well apart, and can begin fruiting two to three years after planting. Fresh seeds take 30–60 days to germinate; drying them can destroy their ability to sprout within 20 days.

When and where you'll find it

At the rare-fruit garden in Campina do Monte Alegre, rainforest plum usually fruits from March to May. The garden receives visitors by advance booking. In Brazil, the fruit also reaches open-air fairs fresh, while jelly and liqueur offer other ways to taste it.