Cocona
Cocona (lat. Solanum sessiliflorum) is a fruit shrub belonging to the Solanaceae family. Cocona is often called the Orinoco apple.
History
The first acquaintance of Europeans with the bizarre cocoon took place in 1760 — this funny fruit was discovered in the Orinoco River basin by a Spanish traveler named Apolinar Diez de la Fuente. And the Indians cultivated this plant in the fields along with beans and corn.
Then, already in 1800, the French botanist Aimé Bonpland and Alexander Humboldt, the great German scientist, discovered substantial thickets of cocoons during their journey through the Orinoco and Amazon. In addition, they noted that this fruit was very popular among the local population. And then attention was paid to this culture only in the middle of the 20th century.
Description
Cocona is a rather nice herbaceous shrub, growing up to two meters in height and endowed with velvety oval leaves, the width of which is about 38 cm and the length is about 45 cm. And the stems of this crop are abundantly covered with sharp thorns.
Cocoon fruits can be either oval or round. On average, their length is 2. 5 — 4 cm, and their width is approximately 6 cm. The thin skin of unripe fruits is covered with light fluff, and as they ripen they become smooth and turn purple, red or yellow. Directly under the bitter skin you can find a thin layer of creamy and fairly dense pulp. In addition, inside each fruit you can find a jelly-like yellow kernel, consisting of a huge number of flat, small seeds. The average duration of fruit ripening is about one hundred and twenty days.
Wild varieties of cocoons are distinguished by rather small fruits and are covered with miniature spines, while their cultivated fellow tribesmen are seedless and larger-fruited.
Where does it grow
The Amazonian part of South America and Argentina are considered the homeland of cocoons. It can be seen especially often on the slopes of the Andes. Now this plant is widely cultivated in Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and a number of other Latin American countries.
Unfortunately, cocoons are not supplied to Russia — the collected fruits do not tolerate transportation very well, as they soften very quickly. True, breeding work is currently being actively carried out to develop varieties of cocoons suitable for transportation. And some Russian gardeners are trying to grow cocoon as an exotic plant.
Application
Peeled fruits are most often eaten fresh. They are no less actively used in the preparation of various sauces and salads. Cocoons also make wonderful juices, jellies, jams and marmalades. And unripe fruits can be pickled in the same way as tomatoes.
The juice of this fruit contains substances that help lower cholesterol levels in the blood (of course, this is only possible with regular consumption of the juice). And the Indians from Eastern Peru actively use the juice to get rid of lice.
Cocoon fruits serve as an excellent general tonic — they are recommended to be eaten during the postoperative period or in case of anemia.
Kokona also has a fairly high content of nicotinic acid, which in turn makes it an indispensable assistant in the treatment and prevention of various ailments of the nervous system. And thanks to the low calorie content of the fruits, people on a diet can safely consume them.
Contraindications
There are currently no contraindications to the consumption of this tropical fruit. However, you should not completely exclude the possibility of allergic reactions and individual intolerance.
