The seedless fruit of the tree Carica pentagona, related to the pawpaw, discovered in Ecuador in the 1920s, introduced into New Zealand in 1973, and more recently into the Channel Islands. A 100-g portion is a rich source of vitamin C.
Babaco
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[buh-BAH-koh] Indiginous to Ecuador, this natural papaya hybrid is torpedo shaped and has five flattened facets. When sliced crosswise, the facets give this exotic fruit a pentagonal outline. Babácos range from 8 to 12 inches long and are about 4 inches in diameter. The edible skin turns from green to golden yellow as it ripens. The riper and softer the fruit, the more flavorful it is. The rich flavor of the extremely fragrant babáco is a cross between banana and pineapple, though not as sweet as either. The juicy, creamy white flesh has a texture similar to that of a casaba melon. The hard-to-find babáco is sometimes available in specialty produce markets. It will ripen quickly at room temperature, especially if placed in a brown paper bag. Refrigerate ripe fruit and use as soon as possible. Babáco is best eaten raw. It contains triple the amount of papain as the papaya and is a good source of vitamins A and C.
| Wikipedia: Babaco |
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| Vasconcellea × heilbornii (V.M.Badillo) V.M.Badillo |
The Babaco (Vasconcellea × heilbornii; syn. Carica pentagona), is a hybrid cultivar in the genus Vasconcellea from Ecuador. It is a hybrid between Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis (syn. Carica pubescens), and Vasconcellea stipulata (syn. Carica stipulata).
Growth
It can grow at high altitudes (over 2,000 m), and is the most cold-tolerant plant in the genus Vasconcellea. The babaco is classified as a herbaceous shrub like Carica papaya (pawpaw or papaya) but unlike papaya it produces only female flowers. The babaco can produce from 30-60 fruits annually. The babaco plant has an average life span of about eight years. The small plant makes a good container specimen and it is better suited than its cousin the papaya which needs constant moisture and high temperatures to survive.
Characteristics
It is a small unbranched or sparsely branched tree reaching 5-8 m tall. The fruit differs from the related papaya (C. papaya) in being narrower, typically less than 10 cm in diameter. The babaco fruit is seedless and the smooth skin can be eaten and is said to have a tastes of strawberry, papaya, kiwi and pineapple. The fruit is pentagonal in shape, therefore giving it the scientific name of Carica pentagona. The fruit is not especially acidic but contains papain, a proteolytic enzyme, which may cause mild irritation or "burns".
Like the papaya, the babaco is grown for its edible fruit and for its fruit juice. Cultivation away from its native range has been successful as far south as New Zealand, and north to Guernsey, Channel Islands.
References
- Babaco Carica Pentagona
- Germplasm Resources Information Network: Vasconcellea ×heilbornii
- California Rare Fruit Growers Babaco fact sheet
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 | Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Babaco". Read more |
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