Jamaica

<< back to user content in Jamaica

Starapple is a large fruit tree, distinguished by its leaves of 2 colors – green above and bronze below, and its large round fruits like apples. The fruits are either purple or green-skinned when ripe, depending on variety. Purple fruit has purple flesh and green-skinned fruit, white flesh. Starapple flesh is sweet and gelatinous when fully ripe.  In folklore, the Strarapple tree is regarded as "cubbitch" (mean), because it never drops its fruit and is a difficult tree to climb.

Starapple combined with oranges and condensed milk, with a shaving of fresh nutmeg, makes a lovely dessert called Matrimony.  Serve it chilled.  It's an old-fashioned dessert, something I would be served at family dinners when I first came to Jamaica 40 years ago!  It is so simple to make and everyone loves it and is very sentimental when seeing it.