Lúcuma
| Lucuma | ||||||||||||
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Lucuma fruit |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pouteria lucuma | ||||||||||||
| ( Ruiz & Pav. ) Kuntze |
Pouteria lucuma is a species of plant from the genus Pouteria within the family of the sapotaceae . It is native to the Andean valleysof Chile , Peru and Ecuador .
The lúcuma , also known as “Gold of the Incas” in advertising (as a powder, processed as a dietary supplement ), is an exotic fruit .
history
The people of the Moche culture often depicted fruits and vegetables in their art, including Lúcuma. The Lúcuma is particularly important in Peru. Here it was already used as a medicinal and food product during the Inca times and was cultivated 2000 years ago. It can be found on artifacts, grave inscriptions and ceramics from this period and was considered an important symbol of fertility. Even today it is still an important food, especially for the poor, rural population.
The fruit was first mentioned by a European in Ecuador in 1531. Some also refer to them as lucmo . In the Philippines it is known as teissa , in Costa Rica mamón and is also called eggfruit in English . This name comes from the dry meat of the lúcuma, which is reminiscent of a hard-boiled egg.
description
Vegetative characteristics
The Pouteria lucuma is an evergreen tree and grows 10-20 meters high, the crown is dense and up to 10 meters in diameter. The bark is light brown, thick, rough and cracked with age. In the fruit ripening period, the branches are saturated with copious amounts of milky latex . It has a slow development time, up to 15 years, which means that grafting is common. It thrives in higher (up to 3000 Hm.), Frost-free, temperate, dry locations, with sandy, sandy-loamy and stony, well-drained soils. The tree is called Lucumo. It delivers a light, dense and durable wood with a beautiful grain.
The thick, entire, obovate to lanceolate, leathery, simple leaves, with pronounced and pinnate veins , are arranged alternately, spirally. The tip is usually rounded to edged, rounded or, more rarely, pointed. The leaves are short stalked, up to 20-25 cm long and 10 cm wide, with a dark green upper side and a slightly lighter underside, some with brown hairs on the underside.
Generative characteristics
The narrow, approx. 1.5 cm wide, yellowish-green, bell-shaped, five- to seven-lobed, aromatic-smelling flowers are arranged individually, axially or in groups between the leaves. They are stalked, about four to six-fold and hermaphroditic , with short and densely hairy, rust-brown, overlapping sepals, which half cover the flower. The tubular petals are green-yellowish with short, free lobes. There are stamens and staminodes present. The hairy ovary is on top with a conical style.
The leathery, bare fruit, berry (armored berry) is round to egg-shaped, up to about 10 cm in size and up to 1 kg in weight, with a thin, brown-green to yellow, partly rust-brown superimposed skin, it contains up to five shiny brown seeds with a whitish, elongated hilum on one flattened side. The large, hard kernels are up to 2–3 centimeters long and look similar to chestnuts. Calyx remains are often preserved on the fruit and the tip is sometimes brownish with remains of a style.
The fruit falls unripe from the tree, it is then stored dry until it is ripe. The flesh is hard in the unripe stage and streaked with latex. The ripe, orange-yellow pulp is soft, very sweet, fibrous, plump, dry and floury. The pulp can be dried and processed into flour, powder. A distinction is made between two varieties , seda (smooth), with soft pulp and palo (wood), with hard, dry pulp, which is preferably processed into powder.
Occurrence and cultivation
Pouteria lucuma thrives at altitudes of 1000 to 2400, more rarely up to 3000 meters. Thus, this species is classified as subtropical even though it is a tropical region. In addition to Peru, the fruit also grows to a limited extent in Chile, Ecuador, Colombia , Bolivia and Costa Rica, Mexico , Laos and Vietnam, and California and Hawaii . Peru produces 88% and Chile 12% of world production.
use
The harvest time in Peru is from October to March, in Chile from June to November. Eaten raw, the fruit has a dry structure and an unsightly aftertaste. In Peru it is commonly used to flavor juice, milkshakes and especially ice cream. Their unique taste is described differently - similar to sweet potatoes , maple syrup or caramel candy. The dessert "merengue con salsa de lúcuma" is very popular in Chile. Just as popular here is “manjar con lúcuma” ( dulce de leche with lúcuma puree).
nutrient
The Lúcuma is very nutritious. With just under 100 kilocalories per 100 grams, it is one of the most calorie-rich fruits. In addition, it has easily digestible fiber , which can have a positive effect on digestion. Lúcumas also contain a not inconsiderable amount of iron , beta-carotene and zinc . The Lúcuma also contain B vitamins , magnesium and calcium .
Taxonomy
Synonyms for Pouteria lucuma (Ruiz & Pav.) Kuntze are Lucuma obovata Kunth and Achras lucuma Ruiz & Pav. (Basionym).
See also
literature
- Jules Janick, Robert E. Paull: The Encyclopedia of Fruit and Nuts. CABI International, 2008, ISBN 978-0-85199-638-7 , p. 837 ff.
- National Research Council (US): Lost Crops of the Incas: National Academic Press, 1989, ISBN 0-309-04264-X , p. 263 ff.
- Elhadi M Yahia: Postharvest Biology and Technology of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits. Volume 3, Woodhead Publishing, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84569-735-8 , pp. 443 ff.
Web links
- Pouteria lucuma at NYBG, accessed September 6, 2019.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Lucuma - the gold of the Inca ( Memento from April 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Pouteria in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved September 28, 2017.