The pineapple may be king in Hawaii but when you have gained an insight into Hawaiian fruits and nuts, you will realize that there is a tremendously rich selection to be found on the islands. Few of the fruits and nuts are actually indigenous to Hawaii. The pineapple came via Spanish explorers from Mexico, the papaya by way of the Marquesa Islands and the macadamia nut was originally from Australia.
Pineapple, King of Fruits
However, many of these tropical fruits have flourished in the rich volcanic soil, fed by substantial rainfall and nourished by sunny weather. The pineapple industry was at one time dominant in Hawaii and the pineapple or halikihiki was regarded as the king of fruits. It has withered in importance having lost out to lower cost centers of production in Thailand, the Philippines and Brazil. Del Monte last year pulled out of Hawaii after a 90-year presence, leaving Dole and Maui Land and Pineapple as the remaining large growers on the island.
Pineapples rank among the top 50 anti-oxidant fruits and new varieties that are produced in Hawaii exceed other strains in nutritional benefits. Maui Land and Pineapple has developed a super sweet, low-acid hybrid called Maui Gold deemed to have three times the content of Vitamin C as other types. Did you know that a pineapple takes 18 months to grow?
Visitors to Hawaii can easily ship a box of pineapples home. You can buy boxes of approved pineapples at the airport stores just before dashing off to the departure gates. The new Kona Sugarloaf, which is causing a stir among foodie circles, is a white-fleshed exceptionally sweet fruit. Fully acid free, it may not be easily found outside Hawaii as it is deemed to fragile for shipping. Either convince someone coming back from Hawaii to stick one into the hand luggage or shop for it yourself while on holiday.
Other Hawaiian tropical fruits
Here is a brief primer to help you develop an insight into Hawaiian fruits and nuts so you will know where and when to buy them : -
- Guava – this is very common and grows just about anywhere at almost any time of the year. It has much more Vitamin C content than an orange, so drink guava juice freely while in Hawaii. Yellow-skinned with a pink pulp, it is grown as a fruit in backyards, in the wild or commercially and is usually sold in farmer’s markets.
- Lilikoi – a luscious yellow-skinned tart-flavored passion fruit. Lilikoi jam and fruit preserves are very popular in Hawaii and the fruit puree is a popular ingredient in baking.
- Papaya – favored for breakfast, the ripe, orange-fleshed papaya aids digestion. The unripe green papaya is now commonly used in cooking and in fruit salads. Kahuku papayas from Oahu’s North shore are firm and juicy while the Sunrise papaya from the Big Island and Kauai is just as top-notch.
- Kau Orange – do not be put off by the ugly brown skin. These oranges from the southern end of the Big Island are as sweet as honey and can be found at supermarkets and health food stores.
- Mango – look for it in summer. The Hayden mangoes are plump and juicy while the rare and wonderful fiberless White Piries is almost honey sweet and best eaten fresh or slightly chilled. They are sold in Honolulu’s Chinatown or along roadside fruit stands Types of mangoes found in Hawaii are the Rapoza, Shibata, Mapulehu, Ataulfo and Exel, the latter developed by the University of Hawaii. Green mangoes go into the making of salads or mango chutneys and the light-colored mango wood is turned into bowls and kitchen implements.
- Mangosteen – a relatively new exotic Asian fruit, you can find the purple-skinned fruit with a sweet and transparent custard-like flesh at the Hilo Farmer’s Market on the Big Island, occasionally at Honolulu’s Chinatown and in farmer’s markets on the other islands.
- Noni – short on flavor and smell but long on therapeutic and medicinal properties, the noni has a roll call of uncomplimentary names, such as the ugly or smelly fruit. It has well known anti-inflammatory properties, and the fruit is often rubbed, or a salve made of pounded fruit, directly onto animal and insect bites, burns, cuts, and even on broken bones. The noni tree was previously grown to shade coffee plants but with more than 100 beneficial components identified in the fruit, it is marketed widely as a juice, in pills or capsules for a wide variety of ailments. Every part of the tree – its leaves, flowers, fruit, bark, stems and roots – has healing agents.
- Starfruit – water filled, juicy and sweet, the fruit turns yellow when ripe. When cut along the width, the slices look like yellow stars. Chilled starfruit slices are very refreshing on a hot, tropical day.
- Lychees – sometimes referred to as litchis, these sweet white-fleshed fruits with pebbled red skins and black seeds are a local favorite. Spot them at the Hilo farmer’s market, Chinatown in Honolulu or your friend’s backyard.
Hawaii’s edible nuts
Most of Hawaii’s multi-million dollar macadamia nut industry is located on the Big Island. The crunchy, buttery-tasting nut is a big draw with tourists and is sold raw, roasted, salted and unsalted, dipped in chocolate, caramel and for a more exotic taste, in Maui onion and garlic.
Studies by the University of Hawaii show that eating macadamia nuts, which are rich in mono-unsaturated fats, help reduce high cholesterol. Macadamia nut oil is used in cooking and in salad dressings.
The kukui tree, which is Hawaii’s state tree, grows to as tall as 80 feet tree. The black colored nuts were previously worn as jewelry by ancient Hawaiian royalty and were deemed to have healing properties. Ancient Hawaiians rubbed kukui nut onto seafaring canoes and surfboards to waterproof them and brushed over elegantly carved Hawaiian calabashes to seal and protect them.
Nowadays, kukui nut oil is used in cosmetic preparations such as body lotions and moisturizers.
Indispensable to an insight to Hawaiian fruits and nuts is the coconut tree found fringing all of Hawaii’s fabulous beaches. The young coconut is favored for the water and smooth flesh and the grated coconut and the extracted milk is widely used in curries and baking. Coconut oil is used in cooking and a wide number of cosmetic preparations and the shell is made into food or decorative bowls. And of course, for the sun worshipper, the coconut tree provides wonderful shade for a lazy snooze.
