Try checking the yard or the streets that you often pass. If you find a tree with a small reddish fruit like a cherry, well that's a cherry fruit. Culinary fruit is one type of fruit that can be consumed and grow wild in places with warm temperatures, arid, or dry. At first glance, the fruit is similar to the cherries we normally use for blackforest topping. But that does not mean this cherry fruit is a cherry, yes.
The origin of cherry fruit
If asked who brought cherries to Indonesia, there is no historical record that knows about this. However, this cherry fruit is spread in tropical countries such as Southeast Asia, India, and Latin America. So most likely, this cherry fruit imported by migrants from outside Indonesia in the trade route.
Although already known since time immemorial in the archipelago, this fruit still exist and many scattered in some areas. Kersen fruit trees are often used as shade trees because the leaves are quite dense. In addition, this tree grows wild in some places such as yard, riverbanks, soccer field, to the roadside.
Kersen fruit also have different nicknames in each region, you know. In Jakarta and surrounding areas, this fruit is often called cherries, while in Lampung called baleci. Outside of Indonesia, cherries are called farang takop (Thailand), cay trung ca (Vietnam), enough siam (Malaya), Jamaican cherry, Panama berry, Singapore cherry (UK), or Japanese cherry (India).
About physical appearance and taste
Kersen or talok fruit has a small round shape with a yellowish-green color when young and red when it is ripe. This fruit at first glance is similar to cherry tomatoes or cherries, but in terms of taste, unexpectedly this fruit was very sweet. So no wonder, I often see peers climbing cherry trees to pick fruit. Not even children, wild animals like wild birds eating fruit and bats also perched on this fruit tree or eating fruit that had fallen to the ground.
Benefits for the health of the body
Although it is very sweet, cherries are actually safe to eat by people with diabetes, you know. Culinary fruit is rich in vitamin C, vitamin B, and calcium, and even higher levels of mango. In addition to keeping blood sugar low, cherries can also relieve gout, facilitate digestion, strengthen antibodies, and slow aging. Well, get ready stock of this fruit so that skin stay young
How to choose and use it in cooking
Basically, cherries can be consumed directly or processed into various sweet dishes. Because the seeds are small, you can immediately eat them without removing the seeds in the fruit flesh. Well, what can be processed so what? Many people make juice, syrup, and jam from cherries. With a natural sweetness, you do not need to add much sugar and are safe to eat every day. In addition to these three preparations, some people also make puddings, muffins, to cakes from cherries.
Whatever type of processed, start by choosing good quality kersen fruit. Choose cherries with red color, no white patches on the surface, and feel smooth. Avoid cherries that have black holes or stains, yes. After that, wash the fruit under the running water until there is no dirt and cherries ready to eat or processed, deh!
Wow, so curious to immediately try it huh? No need to panic because in the dry seasons, cherries must bear much fruit. But if difficult to find the tree, you can come to the plant shop or breeding place to buy directly there.
Looks healthy and probably full of Vitamin C!!!
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