Monday, May 3, 2010

Rumberry Pie (Chasing Guavaberries in Tortola)

True story:




By own admission, my curiosity about food is at times an embarrassment to my loved ones. On this occasion they were encapsulated in a rental jeep at the bottom of a hill, looking for all the world like they were ordinary tourists with their cameras trained on the beautiful vista ahead. Their goal was to casually disassociate themselves from the crazy, inappropriately attired lady, hiking up a small hill behind them.

liquour5


It was Christmas and I was vacationing with my sister in Tortola. One taste of an intoxicating, local, drink and I had become a woman on a mission. What was this magic elixir? The homebrew I had tasted was called guavaberry wine and it was made with a fruit that I hadn’t heard of before. Later on I learned that a delicious pie and a liqueur (pictured above) were also made from the same berries.

What are guavaberries? First off, they don’t taste anything like a guava. The berry itself is yellowish-orange or a very dark red to a blackish purple. They are also known as rumberries in some parts. My apologies for the crappy, blurred photo it was dark in the freezer and I couldn't get my old point and shoot to focus. I had already weirded out my hostess enough. I didn’t reckon she would have taken too kindly to my hauling out her berries and attempting to style the shot.Click here for a picture of the tree and clearer image of the fruit.

Guavaberries


I am thinking that this might be something that grows in Trinidad but we may have a different name for it. So many of our local fruits have been forgotten in our pursuit of foreign imports. Have you seen this fruit? Do you know it by some other name? Please let me know in the comments.

The time that I was in Tortola, I drove my sister crazy looking for this darn tree. Guavaberry pie and wine evokes such a sense of nostalgia in Virgin Islanders that you would think there would be a guavaberry tree on display in the botanical gardens, but no. We climbed the highest peak in the Virgin Islands to get to Sage Mountain National Park – don’t bother.

We asked every tour operator we encountered to help us locate a guavaberry tree. Most didn't know or so they pretended:-) FINALLY on the last day of our stay, as we were leaving the beach, I struck up a conversation with some taxi drivers who were setting up for a barbecue. They didn't know where I could find a guavaberry tree but they knew a woman who made guavaberry pies - just up the hill.

Before I knew it I was standing, slightly embarrassed, trailing sand and dripping salt water into this woman’s immaculate kitchen. My sense of shame was heightened by the fact once I opened my mouth, I knew that my Caribbean accent would expose me as an imposter, not a tourist – well not really.

Sure enough, when I started speaking they realized right way that I was myself an islander. Now the strange looks. How could I be West Indian and not know about guavaberry? I know isn’t it shameful. That’s exactly why I am here peering into the depths of your freezer. Nervous laughter. Not only did this kind lady open up her freezer for me to take pictures, she also cut me a generous slice of her pie. Score! You gotta love Caribbean hospitality!

Upon my return, my sister and husband were annoyed because my diversion had made us late to catch our flight home - no matter I had pie!

Here is a picture of a guavaberry pie that my sister was supposed to bring for me this Christmas. Sigh, all I got for Christmas was my sister. She forgot the pie but so thoughtfully took this picture before she and her roommate ate it all.

Guavaberry Pie

There is a lesson here. The lesson is that fancy ingredients do not necessarily come from far flung corners of the earth. You can bring something exciting to your table wherever you are in the world with local ingredients. You just have to ask questions. Oh yeah,  and NEVAH trust your sister with pie!


Photobucket

30 comments:

  1. Thanks for the introduction of this new fruit. I'll definitely ask around over here.

    Man, your sis forgot the pie?! I would have been so disappointed.

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  2. Never heard of this fruit, but i am crazy for all berries, my favorite being mulberries!
    funny story about your sister!

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  3. very interesting... i think i dont know a whole lot of the local fruits as well...blame it on living in the city n being 'exposed' to western or imported fruits from all over the world but here!

    beauitufl berries. im glad u found them n discovered each other :)

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  4. THAT. STORY. IS. HILARIOUS!!! You are crazy. I would have love to have seen you run to that lady's house. The pie looks good. I've never seen guavaberries.

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  5. What a fantastic story! I love this - now what would be a good substitute from this guavaberries - I have got to try some of this pie!

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  6. wow, I don't think I've ever tried a guavaberry! I'm quite intrigued by them now. And LOL about your sister and the pie but it's great that you got a photo of it at least! But I understand a piece of the pie would have been better :)

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  7. Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog. It is a pleasure to discover yours and I look forward to exploring and visiting again. Although the fruit is knew to me I love any kind of berries and sorry to hear that you did not get to eat it.

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  8. what a fun tale. :) i've never seen or eaten guavaberries, but i like the way they look! and what a generous lady--i'm not sure i'd be willing to share a slice of my pie with a stranger. :)

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  9. Ha, great story! It is a bit of a tease your sis brought the pic but not the pie though..

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  10. love that you did that :-) and shared it with us! The smoothness of the skin, and the colour of the purple one reminds me of series (the one you have to roll a bit to soften before you eat http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/FACULTY/CARR/images/fla_ind_klove.jpg)...but based on this photo http://toptropicals.com/cgi-bin/garden_catalog/cat.cgi?uid=Eugenia_floribunda I don't know what the guavaberry is...interesting...

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  11. Hmm -I've not heard of this...It doesn't even look familiar. Have you asked my mum? She would have knowledge of what it might be called in Jamaica or Trinidad.

    Great story though -did you miss your flight or were you just late?

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  12. I've never tried guavaberries and will have to find them. Great story and the pie sounds berry good!

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  13. i have to admit i've never heard of guavaberries - guavas yes! the pie looks divine. i would not share this pie with anyone!

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  14. Great story!! I dont trust my sister with pie either!!

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  15. Emmm...insteresting! The guavaberry looks exactly like cranberry, just a little bigger that's all! Btw, I have some awards for you. Please feel free to pick them up. Have a nice day!
    Cheers, Kristy
    http://kristygourmet.blogspot.com/2010/05/more-awards-my-lucky-finger.html

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  16. Never heard of guavaberries either, but then I am sure we have weird ingredients here that I never heard of either... :) And how thoughtful of your sister to at least show the photo of that gorgeous pie! lol

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  17. Hmmm the guava berries. I can't say that I have ever seen or had the pleasure of eating guava berries but, certainly I would enjoy them. Like you, I would have easily ventured into the woman's home for a peek too.

    I am really gald she oferred you a slice-now, you will have a lifelong love for the delicious berries.

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  18. I think this story is absolutely charming! What a lovely person, to offer a stranger a slice of pie.

    Never heard of guavaberries. I learn good stuff here!

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  19. Interesting, first time coming across guavaberries. I love fruitty pies!

    thks for dropping by my blog. Added your link to my blogroll. cheers!

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  20. This is the second new fruit I've learned about today! And I live in Florida! Ought to be able to find both in my market. I think another trip to Whole Foods and the farmer's market will be coming up soon.
    They look oddly like cranberries, don't they? But I can't imagine making a pie with those.
    My sister is trustworthy in every respect except food. I wouldn't trust her either!

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  21. Thanks everyone for the kind comments. @ Chennete at first I thought they might be the plums you call cerise-the red ones that you roll which I know as Governor plum but they are not.
    Barbara nope they are definitely not cranberries. In Florida I think they are more commonly called rumberries ( I'm not sure)
    @My Little space- thanks for the kind award:

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  22. I've never seen these fruits before, I'm sure the liqueur with those would be fantastic, I would love to try! I'm glad that we get to take a peak at that delicious looking pie :)

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  23. In defense of your sister...there are many travel restrictions regarding food, maybe its not all her fault?

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  24. ROTFL. Yeah yeah, sure SISTER DEAREST trying to be all anonymous. I KNOW IS YOU. Don't worry I still love yah!

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  25. The berries are new to me, I am sure the liquor would be lovely and the pie you didn't get to eat also looks very yummy.

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  26. LOVE the story so much, I am linking to it from my blog!

    Caribbean hospitality IS wonderful!

    From
    Dear Miss Mermaid
    Author of
    Hurricanes and Hangovers (and other tall tales and loose lies from the coconut telegragh)

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  27. On St Maarten, they make a guavaberry Liqueur. Delicious!

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  28. I LOVE Tortolla! and I would LOVE to try this pie...and wine! lol

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  29. I have a friend who makes his own guavaberry liqueur so he must have a tree at the house (up on Luck Hill).

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  30. @Abigail-Now where were you with that info when I visited:-)?

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