Jaboticaba is a very unique tropical fruit that is native to Brazil. It is also referred to as Brazilian grapes. The fruit is about and inch in diameter with a purple skin and clear flesh; much like a concord grape. The skin of jaboticaba is extremely bitter/tart, the flesh is very sweet, and the seed has notes of cinnamon and allspice if bitten into. The flavor is unique unto itself but texture and overall level of sweetness is comparable to a grape. Unlike grapes, however the jaboticaba grows directly on the trunk of a tree as seen in the photos above and below. There are several species and the tree is planted for decoration as much as cultivation in native Brazil.
We came across jaboticaba for the first time at the Makawao Farmer's Market on Maui. The fruit was brought by a friend from a tree on her sisters farm. So far, this is how we find jaboticaba, by chance; to our knowledge it is not cultivated in an orchard setting in the United States.
Nicole has brought us another harvest from the same tree and we wasted no time making jam. Being that the skin and seed each posses a unique flavor profile individually we saved the solids after the first cooking of the jam. With this we are going to craft our first tropical cocktail bitters; more on this in a future post. In the second cooking we combine the sweet-tart,syrupy liquid of the first cooking with Maui gold raw cane sugar and cook until the mixture thickens.
The resulting jelly is spreadable and sweet. The flavors trick your mouth at first by mimicking grape jelly but within seconds you can taste the spice and citrus notes that are unique to this fruit. Maui Preserved Jaboticaba Jelly is the perfect breakfast spread for your table on or off island.
Catch up with us at the Maui Swap Meet (every Sat. 6-2), Makawao Farmer's Market (every Wed. 9-3) or email us to place your order today!
