2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Chupa-chupa (lat. Matisia cordata) - a fruit tree belonging to the Malvovye family, often called cardiac matizia.
Description
Chupa-chupa is a fast-growing deciduous tree, endowed with a straight trunk and growing up to forty-forty-five meters in height. As for the cultivated forms of this plant, their height rarely exceeds twelve meters. Each tree is generously covered with numerous heart-shaped leaves, the length of which ranges from fifteen to thirty centimeters.
Chupa-chupa fruits are characterized by an elliptical shape, and protruding bulges can be seen on their tops. In length, fruits usually grow from ten to fourteen and a half centimeters, and in width - up to eight centimeters. And their velvety and rather thick peel is painted in greenish-brownish shades pleasant to the eye. The orange pulp of Chupa Chupa boasts a truly incredible juiciness and incomparable aroma. It is quite fibrous in structure and very sweet in taste. Inside each fruit, large seeds are hidden in the amount of two to five pieces, and long fibers penetrating the entire fruit come out directly from them. The average weight of ripe fruits often reaches four hundred grams.
Where grows
It will not be difficult to meet the Chupa Chupa in the wild in Peru and Ecuador - there this unusual tree grows in numerous low-lying tropical forests. Under similar conditions, it grows in Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. And in the same place the chupa-chupa is now being actively introduced as an agricultural crop. Only she has adapted to very specific conditions of existence to such an extent that any attempts to cultivate her at the moment are failing, and even in similar climatic conditions. At the moment, they are trying to start growing chupa-chupu in the Amazon lowland. And in Russia, which is not surprising at all, this outlandish fruit is still unknown.
Application
Chupa Chupa is very good fresh. Crushed fruits are readily added to various desserts, snacks and fruit salads. By the way, for these purposes, it is recommended to select fruits with a weakly expressed fiber. In addition, chupa-chupa produces excellent juice, which is often added to cocktails, ice cream or a wide variety of drinks. However, this juice can be drunk separately. As for the calorie content of the chupa-chupa, it is about 64 kcal per 100 g.
Despite the fact that the chemical composition of the chupa chupa has not been studied enough at present, the researchers managed to establish that it is very rich in fiber, which is why this fruit is very useful for the digestive tract, as it actively helps to get rid of constipation and normalize the intestinal microflora. And the yellow-orange pulp of unusual fruits is rich in carotene (or provitamin A), which in turn makes the lollipop very useful for the skin and strengthening the eyesight. Chupa-chupa also perfectly promotes the regeneration of damaged tissues, has a pronounced restorative effect and helps to rid the body of excess fluid, toxins and toxins.
Contraindications
Chupa-chupa does not have any special contraindications, however, during its use, individual intolerance is not excluded, manifested in the form of allergic reactions.
