A lthough almost no one knows and few take advantage, in the native flora of Uruguay there are over 20 species of which fruits are edible, tasty and healthy for humans.
The list is long: quebracho loose, yellow spine, myrtle, fig tree in the forest, logging, Aguaí, Pitanga, guava, fig, chañar ubajaí, guabiyú, Mataojo colorado, carob, arazá, Tarumá spineless palms yatay Buti and part of it.
Some of these fruits were consumed once frequently in the early years of the country before the arrival of the flood of immigration, when most of the population was concentrated in the campaign.
But that knowledge was lost for the majority. Today in Montevideo and other cities native fruit consumption, many of which may be obtained free is extremely rare. Even some of these fruits are known in countries as far away as New Zealand, but not here.
However, this situation has begun to change thanks to a joint effort of the College of Agriculture, the National Agricultural Research Institute and the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries. Beatriz
Vignale is agronomist, specializing in fruit, and one of the managers of the old knowledge about native fruits have begun to be rescued. Vignale
lives in Falls and works in the local branch of the Faculty of Agronomy. His studies have always been focused on what the faculty are called "fruits more "apples, oranges, peaches, pears. But his career changed one day when a group of rural women salteñas him an unexpected question. These women selling sweets and jams of "more fruit" no additives or preservatives. However, even though their products are completely natural, tourists visiting the spas did not show much interest. They noticed that visitors looking for something else, not only natural, but rather typical. A good strawberry jam or apples can be purchased anywhere in the world.
- Why not do something that is ours, that people can buy and take the gift, souvenir or memory? Women asked him. - What fruit we pack it worth it, to label and sell it? Vignale
realized that this was a good question, but did not know the answer. "I was taught that in college."
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| Fruit of the Pitanga |
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know the native fruit is important in several respects. Constitute a source of food available in season where fruit consumption is low. "In rural areas, children and the kids did not eat fruit because the fruit is expensive," Vignale said. "This encouraged us to undertake this task."
At the same time, indigenous fruit species are well suited to the physical and environmental conditions in Uruguay. That allows them to grow with very little care, anyone can grow it and do not require pesticides, which pollute the environment and can become a problem for consumer health. Therefore
Vignale began to suggest to female teachers in rural schools to plant native fruit trees on their properties, so that children could eat fruit. "We talked with them and proposed planting these species, which are extremely rough. Because teachers do not want apple or peach or vines because they have to spend pesticides and still throwing them die. "
The proposal was successful. Primary inspection Leap first, then those of other departments joined the effort. "Two or three years we have been putting native fruit in schools. And then joined the Foundation accomplishments to the task. It is very good, "Vignale, because as children eat, end up eating the whole family."
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But the plan to drive the Faculty of Agriculture, INIA and the Forestry Division is more ambitious and claims that these fruits are grown and marketed in bulk.
"For that you need to make a production base, selecting individuals of each species was cloned from cuttings or grafts, so that production is uniform," said agronomist Nebel, of the Forestry Department.
Nebel, Vignale and work crossing the Uruguay Cabrera and choosing the best individuals of each native fruit, and then replicate (clone) and be able to get the best matrix for initiating the cultures.
"We go and we ask people to foremen in the hulls of rooms, ladies and children in the villages, what they eat plant, which used to make sweets, alcohol or dessert," he said Vignale. "The people who know you say, it is rich, it is acidic or not I like it."
For example, in the town of Bethlehem Salta discovered that there are many examples of guabiyú, but the children when they leave school and teens when they go to the gym, they always eat it. That was one of the trees selected for the gene that is being made. "Our emphasis," Vignale said, is to find plants that have commercial potential. "
The effort has focused on four species: guava, Pitanga, arazá and guabiyú (Guaviyú is usually written, but the Royal English Academy does with b). Copies of these plants, and a few others such as Ubajay, cherry hill or loose quebracho-up a "garden of introduction" where the best individuals are studied and then cloned start preparing the time of large-scale cultivation.
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| Guayabo in bloom |
"The peasants were installed in the field and the first thing they did was to plant fruit trees to supply. The usual was to plant loquat, fig and two native species: guava and pitanga, "said Nebel, who for his work in the Forestry Division has covered nearly every corner of the country and is often found with these specimens. Nebel
himself grew up eating the fruits of a guava tree that was 115 years in his birthplace Cerro Chato.
The guava is native fruit of all the species whose production is more advanced today. Native to the northeast of Uruguay and southern Brazil, its culture and primitive fruit was abandoned and the last 150 years the tree was used more as an ornamental plant because of its beautiful flowers.
However, with plants and seeds taken from Uruguay, other countries began to cultivate and harvest their fruit successfully. Today there are crops of guava in Colombia, United States (in California) and New Zealand among other countries. New Zealanders have achieved such success with this plant as a guava tree has fruits the size of Uruguay of a hen's egg, which harvested kiwifruit originated in plants taken from Uruguay, are as big as a peach. The success of this tree in other continents caused some short-growers-Uruguayans "rediscovered" its culture in recent years.
"In Canelones and Melilla are several apple growers who planted guava. Because as we left the Uruguay and other countries it sold very well, it's easier to cheer, "said Vignale.
Guava, also known as a hangover of the country, bears the scientific name for Acca sellowiana . As before it was called Feijoa sellowiana In English its fruit is called feijoa . Not to be confused with the Brazilian guava, since they are distinct species. The guava is a fruit that is green yet ripe, fleshy and very pleasant flavor. Hopefully, in the harvest season (late February to the copies of the north of the country until early May to the south) can be found in any supermarket guava Montevideo. But it still sells at a price that is not accessible to most of the public. These days, the chef Mario Bo, a cook very interested in native fruits, guavas found on the shelves of a supermarket ... but they sold so expensive as mangoes imported: 65 pesos per kilo. And in the guava trees, inedible parts are almost 50% of the weight of the fruit.
addition, the current poor crop in Uruguay guava plantings are based on seeds and not to clone plant, causing the crop is too heterogeneous. "Today there is no uniformity in size, color and flavor, which is precisely what applies in a fruit and that's what we're trying to accomplish today," said Nebel.
's the same with the pitanga. This species is native to southern Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. Can grow to seven or eight meters when grown in the coastal mountains. There are many types Pitangas: fruit can be red, pink, purple or almost black. The diversity of flavors is also great.
"Inside, many people still do pitanga sauces or cane. But the work of selecting the best plants is not easy, "Vignale said. "Because there Pitangas across the country, but not all good, rich and productive."
As with most of the fruits native pitanga can be eaten fresh. And in this case the incentive is twofold, because this little fruit in addition to good taste is high in antioxidants, substances key to maintaining health.
is not the only case, several Uruguayan scientists have been devoted to analyzing the properties "nutraceutical" (neologism that adds nutrition and pharmaceutical) of native fruits and discovered to their surprise that these fruits unknown in general than the properties of their more famous.
"The guabiyú have large amounts of anthocyanins, a type of substance high antioxidant properties present in almost all the dark fruits and is used to prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease. Cranberries also have anthocyanins, but it exceeds guabiyú, "said Alicia Feippe agronomist, researcher at the INIA.
Feippe explained that other native fruits also have high levels of vitamins and antioxidants. The guava, for example, is particularly rich in vitamin C. The arazá, good flavor, sweet and sour at the same time-and exquisite aroma, is another fruit with a high level of anthocyanins. Now
efforts to achieve high-quality clones to initiate mass cultures are also taking into account that the selected plants are the best values \u200b\u200bof vitamins and antioxidants.
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Although there is still much to do, Vignale is satisfied. There is much good news about native fruits. For example, recently the renowned wine producer Establishment Joanicó began a pilot culture arazá. What began as a simple friendly gesture towards the local flora and the environment, today we awoke the imagination of those responsible for the hold. With the first crops were prepared fresh and delicious homemade jams that resulted. Now much of the crop was sent to manufacturers of candy and cooking schools to experience the development of new products, said Gustavo Blumetto of Joanicó. "Our test at home with the sweets had a spectacular result. Regarding the preparation of beverages such as liquor or wine arazá still much to investigate. "
Chef Laura Rosano, coordinator of Slow Food Canario is one that has a strong commitment to the natives. In an estate in the San Luis resort, in Canelones, planted 350 native fruit. Within a year the trees will bear fruit that she hopes to bring to the market. Meanwhile, Rosano experience recipes based on the native fruits:
"Recently in Rocha, on a course I gave on regional cuisine, made a sauce of red snapper arazá sea salt and a yellow arazá with honey and lemon, to lamb. And both were delicious. I want to help create recipes, because I want to sell when you have the fruits. "
Beatriz Vignale For the greatest success is all that progress has been made to know the times and fruiting periods of each of the studied species.
"The native fruits were well described botanically, but with regard to their habits of fruit, dates of harvest, ripening times, nothing was known. We want to tell the producer: Look, this is harvested in November or December, it has only one crop per year or have two. In some cases, that information now we know. I sometimes tell students that the orange has 4,000 years of domestication and observations of man. We just started, but we're happy because you want to grow and we can tell time maturation. "
Nebel believes that in the case of the four species in which printing is now a greater effort, guava, Pitanga, guabiyú-arazá and a short while he was growing more widespread.
"Our goal is to provide a commercial basis to the native fruits, plants achieve high production and performance. It takes ten or fifteen years to establish productive clones. We started working on this for ten years. Today, there are small pictures that are occurring. "
article Haberkorn
Published in the January 2011 edition of the journal Placer.
Reproduction prohibited without permission of the author
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