Thursday, March 15, 2012

The cannonball fruit

Crescentia cujete fruit
Crescentia cujete fruit (Calabash tree)
The Calabash tree is found in tropical jungles of Central and South America. This tree produces a huge fruit that resembles (and weighs like) a cannonball. When fresh, the fruit is eaten. When dried and smoked, the fruit covering is used by native peoples as a container for food and liquids, as a cup, as a ladle, and even as a musical instrument (called the maraca). The fruit seeds contain an oil that's used as a medicine against colds.

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