Most original Vegan desserts were simple sweet fruit cut and presented for dessert. In today’s world, fruit are still some of the best and healthiest desserts available. Often the sweetest treats are tropical fruits!
The most popular tropical fruits are Pineapple, Bananas, Guava, Papaya and Mangos.
PINEAPPLE:
Fully ripe pineapples are slightly soft to the touch, golden yellow in color and have a “piney” aroma. Size has little to do with the quality but you should avoid fruit that appears too green, it may not be ripened well. The most exquisitely flavored pineapples are completely field-ripened, because, unlike most fruit, they do not sweeten any more after they have been picked. Overly ripened pineapples show slight decay at the base and have dark, soft, watery spots on the sides. Rounded rather than tapered pineapples are preferred. The traditional way to smell for ripeness is to pull two leaves off of the top and smell for aroma. A pineapple weighing about 2 pounds yields 2 1/2 cups of cubed fruit (4 cups grated fruit). Standing fruit upon its stem end slice-off the exterior skin in strips, cutting from top to bottom.
PREPARATION
Wash the fruit then cut off the leafy end and a slice off of the opposite stem end. Slice off the exterior skin in strips from top to bottom. Remove remaining eyes with a small pointed knife. The core is not edible so slice off chunks, top to bottom around the core. Then you can make the chunks into cubes, thick or thin slices, shred them or grate them.
Sliced Pineapple makes a great dessert presented as is, or the old school method is to sprinkle with sugar and let them macerate for an hour, then served the slices at the end of your meal.
PAPAYA:
Papayas are large cylindrical melon-like fruit from a tropical tree. They range in size from 3 to 20 inches in length and may weigh up to 10 pounds. When ripe the thin, smooth, skin becomes orange-yellow to deep-orange color.
PREPARATION
Cut the fruit in two, lengthwise, and remove the small blackish seeds in the center. Remove the orange flesh from the skin and cube.
MANGO:
Mangos are the fruit of an evergreen tree and the oval fruit range from plum-sized to those weighing 2 to 3 pounds. The skin is smooth and yellow or yellowish green and the seed inside is long and flat.
PREPARATION
Remove the skin and slice the narrow sides as close to the stone as possible to remove the flesh. Then cut into strips or cubes. Ripe mangos are nicely sweet and juicy.
BANANA:
Bananas are available in almost every grocery, or corner store selling food. A banana is a tropical fruit that is botanically actually a berry. They grow in large clusters on banana plants which are large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus Musa.
Americans’ favorite fresh fruit, the curvy yellow bananas are high in potassium and pectin and are a good source of fiber and vitamin C. An interesting fact is the levels of nutrients rise in bananas as they ripen. Bananas with dark spots are eight times more effective in enhancing the power of white blood cells than green-skin bananas.
PREPARATION
Peel and slice, cut into chunks or mash as desired for your use.
GUAVA:
The 2-to 5-inch diameter, oval or somewhat pear-shaped fruit of a tropical evergreen tree. The skin is thin and pale yellow. Guava is sweet.
PREPARATION
Remove the skin and cube to eat raw. Guava is often stewed and made into jams, pastes or preserves.
(Source: “Best Recipes from Americas Kitchens” by Anne London.)
If you are eager to get really hungry you can see the rest of our food blog posts!
