Jabuticaba Explained

Jabuticaba (pronounced as /pt-BR/), also spelled Jaboticaba,[1] is the edible fruit of the jabuticabeira (Plinia cauliflora) or Brazilian grapetree. The purplish-black, white-pulped fruit grows directly on the trunk of the tree, making it an example of 'cauliflory'. It is eaten raw or used to make jellies, jams, juice or wine.[2] The tree, of the family Myrtaceae, is native to the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Goiás and São Paulo in Brazil.[3] Related species in the genus Myrciaria, often referred to by the same common names, are native to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia.[4]

Etymology

The name jabuticaba derives from the Tupi word îaboti Lusitanized jaboti/jabuti (tortoise) + kaba (place), meaning "the place where tortoises are found";[5] it has also been interpreted to mean 'like turtle fat', referring to the fruit's white pulp.[6] [7] [8] It could also derive from ïapotï'kaba meaning "fruits in a bud".[9]

The Guarani name is yvapurũ: yva means fruit and the onomatopoeic word purũ, from pururũ,[10] describes the crunching sound the fruit produces when bitten.[11]

Description

Plant

The tree is a slow-growing evergreen that can reach a height of if not pruned. The leaves are salmon-pink when young, turning green as they mature.[12]

The tree prefers moist, rich, lightly acidic soil. It is widely adaptable, however, and grows satisfactorily even on alkaline beach-sand type soils, so long as it is tended and irrigated. Its flowers are white and grow directly from its trunk in a cauliflorous habit.[13] In its native habitat jaboticabeiras may flower and fruit five to six times throughout the year. Jabuticabeira are tropical to subtropical plants and can tolerate mild, brief frosts, not below 26 °F (-3 °C).[6]

The tree has a compact, fibrous root system, that makes it suitable for growing in pots or transplanting.

Fruit

The fruit is a thick-skinned berry and typically measures in diameter. The fruit resembles a slip-skin grape. It has a thick, purple, astringent skin that encases a sweet, white or rosy pink gelatinous flesh. Embedded within the flesh are one to four large seeds, which vary in shape depending on the species.[14] Jabuticaba seeds are recalcitrant and they become unviable within 10 days when stored at room temperature.

In Brazil, the fruit of several related species, including Myrciaria tenella and Plinia peruviana, share the same common name.[15]

Production and cultivation

Jabuticaba has been cultivated in Brazil since pre-Columbian times. Today it is commercial crop in the center and south of the country.[16]

Commercial cultivation of the fruit in the northern hemisphere is more restricted by slow growth and the short shelf-life of fruit than by temperature requirements.[17] Grafted plants may bear fruit in five years, while seed-grown trees may take 10 to 20 years to bear fruit.[18]

Jabuticabeiras are fairly adaptable to various kinds of growing conditions, tolerating sand or rich topsoil. They are intolerant of salty soils or salt spray.[19] They are tolerant of mild drought, though fruit production may be reduced, and irrigation will be required in extended or severe droughts.[15]

Jabuticabeiras are vulnerable to the rust, Austropuccinia psidii.[20] particularly when the tree flowers during heavy rain. Other important diseases that affect jabuticabeiras are canker (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), dieback (Rosellinia), and fruit rot (Botrytis cinerea).[21]

Uses

Culinary

Common in Brazilian markets, jabuticabas are largely eaten fresh.[22] Fruit may begin to ferment 3 to 4 days after harvest, so it is often used to make jams, tarts, strong wines, and liqueurs. Due to the short shelf-life, fresh jabuticaba is rare in markets outside areas of cultivation.[16]

The fruit has been compared to Muscadine grapes,[23] and in Japan the flavor of jabuticaba has been described as similar to that of Kyoho grapes.[24]

Bonsai

Their slow growth and small size when immature make jabuticabeiras popular as bonsai or container ornamental plants in temperate regions.[25] It is a widely used bonsai species in Taiwan and parts of the Caribbean.[26]

Cultural significance

The jabuticabeira appears as a charge on the coat of arms of Contagem, Minas Gerais, Brazil.[27]

In Brazilian politics, and less commonly in everyday speech, "jabuticaba" is a slang that describes a political or legal setting that is considered absurd, unusual, or needlessly complex, among others, that could only exist in a country like Brazil. It is a reference to the popular wisdom that jabuticaba trees can only grow in Brazil.[28] [29]

Related species

A number of similar species of plant in the family Myrtaceae produce fruit that is also known by the common name Jabuticaba.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Popenoe . Wilson . July 1914 . The Jaboticaba . Journal of Heredity . 5 . 7 . 321 . 10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a107885 . 14 December 2023 . Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  2. Web site: Marianna shares Brazilian treegrape jam recipe . 23 August 2020 . Bundaberg Now . January 3, 2021.
  3. Book: Fruticultura brasileira . 263–368 . pt-br . Pimentel Gomes . 1973 . 9788521301264 . Nobel.
  4. Web site: Brazilian grapetree . Eden Project . November 15, 2020 . February 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210214173155/https://www.edenproject.com/learn/for-everyone/plant-profiles/brazilian-grapetree . dead .
  5. Book: Exotic Fruits Reference Guide . Sueli . Rodrigues . Ebenezer . de Oliveira Silva . 9780128031537 . Academic Press . January 5, 2018 . 237.
  6. Web site: Plinia cauliflora . . January 3, 2021.
  7. Web site: Jaboticaba . . Ken . Love . Robert E. . Paull . June 2011.
  8. Book: Navarro, Eduardo de Almeida. Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil. São Paulo. Global. 2013. 152.
  9. Book: Ferreira, A. B. H.. Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa. second. Rio de Janeiro. Nova Fronteira. 1986. 977.
  10. Book: Reduplication in Indigenous Languages of South America . Brill's Studies in the Indigenous Languages of the Americas . 7 . Gale . Goodwin Gómez . Hein . van der Voort . 978-90-04-27241-5 . Brill . April 17, 2014 . 22974.
  11. Web site: Yvapurũ, guapuru, jabuticaba . jungledragon.com . January 3, 2021.
  12. Book: Dendrologia das angiospermas: Myrtales . Marchiori . Jose Newton Cardosa . Sobral . Marcos . . 1997 . 304 . pt . 9788573910094.
  13. Web site: Myrciaria cauliflora: Jaboticaba; Brazilian grapetree; jabuticaba; ybapuru . Brown . Stephen H. . deerfield-beach.com . . January 3, 2021 . pdf .
  14. Book: Boning, Charles. Florida's Best Fruiting Plants: Native and Exotic Trees, Shrubs and Vines. 2006. Pineapple Press, Inc.. Sarasota, Florida. 104.
  15. Book: Exotic Fruits and Nuts of the New World . Duarte . Odilo . Paull . Robert . 2015 . . 51 . 9781780645056.
  16. Book: Neglected crops: 1492 from a different perspective. . J. Esteban . Hernández Bermejo . J. . León . 9789251032176 . Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations . 1994 . 229.
  17. Web site: What are jabuticaba berries? Six things you need to know . Suívie . November 10, 2020 . January 3, 2021.
  18. Advances in the propagation of Jabuticaba tree . José . Antonio Alberto da Silva1 . Gustavo . Henrique de Almeida Teixeira . Antonio . Baldo Geraldo Martins . Idemir . Citadin . Américo . Wagner Júnior . Moeses . Andrigo Danner . 10.1590/0100-29452019024 . Revista Brasileira de Fruticultura. 41 . 3 . July 1, 2019. free . 11449/185866 . free .
  19. Book: Exotic Foods A Kitchen and Garden Guide . Marian . Van Atta . 9781561642151 . Pineapple Press . 2002 . 78.
  20. Web site: Spots on Fruit and Flowers . . January 4, 2021.
  21. Book: Postharvest Biology and Technology of Tropical and Subtropical Fruits: Cocona to Mango . G.H. . de Almeida Teixeira . M.F. . Berlingieri Durigan . J.F. . Durigan . 11 - Jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora (Mart.) O.Berg. [Myrtaceae]) . Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition . 10.1533/9780857092885.246 . Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition . 2011 . 246–274 . 9781845697358 . https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9781845697358500115.
  22. Book: The Encyclopedia of Fruit & Nuts . Jules . Janick . Robert E. . Paull . 9780851996387 . . 2008 . 536.
  23. Book: Tropical & Subtropical Trees: An Encyclopaedia . Margaret Barwick . 290 . 2004 . Timber Press . 978-0881926613.
  24. Web site: Are these grapes growing on a tree trunk? Nope! They're Jabuticaba, the otherworldly fruit with an awesome name . Casey . Baseel . 20 December 2013 . Sora News 24 . January 3, 2021 . 7 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230807101049/https://soranews24.com/2013/12/21/are-these-grapes-growing-on-a-tree-trunk-nope-theyre-jabuticaba-the-otherworldly-fruit-with-an-awesome-name/ . dead .
  25. Book: Bountiful Bonsai: Create Instant Indoor Container Gardens with Edible Fruits, Herbs and Flowers . Richard . Bender . 9781462916221 . Tuttle Publishing . January 13, 2015 . 59.
  26. Book: Edible Medicinal And Non Medicinal Plants: Volume 3, Fruits . T.K. . Lim . 9789400725348 . Springer Netherlands . February 9, 2012 . 669.
  27. Web site: Contagem, Minas Gerais (Brazil). https://web.archive.org/web/20071001031839/https://www.fotw.info/flags/br-mg-ct.html. dead. Oct 1, 2007. www.fotw.info. Jul 27, 2024.
  28. Web site: Jabuticaba Política. Istoé. 2013-05-15.
  29. Web site: A jabuticaba e os vira-latas nacionais. Valor Econômico. 2012-10-22. Portuguese: "Existe só no Brasil e não é jabuticaba? Não presta." Poucos ditados concentram tão bem, em mensagem tão convincente, uma ideia tão equivocada. "Does it exist only in Brazil and is it not a jabuticaba? It is no good." Few sayings concentrate so well, in such a convincing message, such a mistaken idea..

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