It’s always exciting to try a new food, and last weekend I tasted for the first time a fruit called an Achacha. What an amazing taste sensation! A cousin of the mangosteen, Achachas are tangy and refreshing, the taste vaguely resembling that of a passionfruit although the texture is completely different.
Originating from the Bolivian part of the Amazon basin in South America, the Achacha is grown in North Queensland and the first harvest is available now. The Bolivian name of the fruit is Achachairú and translated means “honey kiss”. An Achacha is egg-shaped in appearance about 4cm x 6cm, has a seed similar to a lychee and when ripe is bright orange in colour. Nutritionally, achachas contain a high Vitamin C content, as well as Folic Acid, Potassium and Riboflavin.
To eat fresh, score the skin with a sharp knife and remove (don’t throw them away though, as the skins can be used to make a refreshing drink – see below!). Enjoy the delicious flesh avoiding the seed. Achachas can be successfully frozen for many months and can be served frozen as a palate cleanser between courses (as you would serve sorbet).
Add them to a fruit salad for an exotic twist, or drop a peeled fruit into a glass of bubbly for some festive fizz!
The skins of the Achacha are also very nutritious and can be used to make a thirst-quenching drink. Try this recipe:
Ingredients:
Washed skins from 12 Achachas (skins can be collected and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week)
2 litres water
1/2 cup honey or 1/2 cup raw sugar dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
Fresh mint leaves (optional)
Method:
1. Place the Achacha skins in a blender or food processor and blend with 1 litre of water.
2. Add the honey or sugar syrup and the other 1 litre of water.
3. Place in a jug and leave in the refrigerator overnight.
4. Strain the drink, and keep chilled until ready to drink.
5. Serve with fresh mint leaves if desired. You can also serve with lime wedges or add some rum for a refreshing alcoholic drink!
Achacha Thirst Quencher Achachas are available from selected greengrocers, including Harris Farm.
They are so cute in this photo. We haven’t met with this cute little things yet in Turkey. I really wonder about it.
if it taste like mangosteen then achacha will be one of my fave.
were can I purchase some plants and or fruit as I am a avid fruit tree grower and collecter
Hi Kevin, contact Achacha Fruit Holdings, contact details on their website: http://www.achacha.com.au/
what season does achachas come around??
I really love there sourly taste
Hi Mahek, the season in Australia is from December to February. They really are a delicious fruit!
Can you eat the seeds
No you can’t eat the seeds Rodney. For more info on Achachas, see http://www.achacha.com.au/
Achacha fruits are available now at BiLo, North Ward, Townsville, Australia for about $2.40 for 5 fruits. I had read about Achacha when I was on a rare fruits website about longans, and recognised the name when I saw it in the shop. The skin is just like persimmons, but the flesh around the seed is soft and sweet. The seed is larger than a lychee seed and the taste bit more tarty than a lychee or longan. The achacha is reported to be high in Vitamin C and other nutritional substances. Certainly interesting for a change. Could be nice with icecream, but I didn’t have any icecream in the fridge tonight. Looks like the seed might be easy to germinate. Does anyone know if it grows true to type from seed?
According to the website and the newspaper, there are 30,000 trees on a plantation at Giru, which is 1 hr drive south of Townsville. Apparently the market is Sydney and SE Asia. I haven’t noticed them in the shops until today, but then I wasn’t looking for them.
Hi Merilyn not sure if the seed is easy to germinate, but I’ll see if I can find out & let you know!
I live in nz, so am unable to get any of these, would there be a replacement fruit I could use in a recipe I found?
Hi Max, achachas have their own unique flavour so there is not really a direct substitute, but you could experiment with mangoes, mangosteens or lychees in your recipe.
Saw the little critters on Landline ABC, and saw them in Coles Riverlink. splashed out and bought 3. They are different. See you can use skins, for a drink or as a wart fixeruper I discarded mine. See also Wikipedia for more info
always willing to try new food, but this is the biggest spoof ever! The two pips take-up about 90% of the casing with so little flesh (nice taste) that there is no way you could slice it.
I would suggest that you DO NOT put this in child’s lunch boxes, they’re likely to choke on the pips AND be disappointed at how little there is to eat.
Must have a great publicity machine to promote this farce.
Jean Melbourne.
hi, i bought achacha Yesterday for the first time. And I like it,
I also prepared the juice over night and I tried this morning it has a unique but very taste flavor …
Creusa
From Sydney
Hi Jean, the Achacha is a native Bolivian fruit, now grown in Australia. The pip sizes vary from fruit to fruit, and occasionally they can be quite large. This is a characteristic of the fruit, so not sure you could call it a farce….
Hi Creusa, they are quite delicious the Achacha, glad you enjoyed them.
We tried achacha last night – it was a really interesting fruit and we’ll get hold of more soon. Next time we’ll try the drink suggestion too.
Does anyone know if there is anywhere in Mackay you can buy Achachas????
Hi Carol, I have been told from the owners of Achacha Australia that you should be able to buy Achacha at Coles at Caneland shopping centre in Mackay when they are in season (December – February) and possibly also Woolworths and some good fruit shops.
we just got some from coles in cannonvale (whitsundays)
Enjoy them while they are in season max-n-graham!
i think this fruit might be the best flavoured I have even tasted. I grew up eating peaches/plums etc which have seeds of similar size so I don’t see how kids would choke on the seeds like Jean says, otherwise there would be a warning out on giving kids stone fruit. $6/kilo in the supermarkets now so give the kids 5 to snack on a day.
Thanks for your positive feedback Levi, they are a beautiful fruit.
please what is the side effect of achacha fruit?
Can you get these in Melbourne? Thanks
Yes you can A, check the Achacha webpage for details of where to buy http://achacha.com.au/where-to-buy/ They are out of season at the moment, so you’ll need to wait until closer to the end of the year.
They don’t sell Achacha’s anywhere in the continental U.S. of A. I sure would like to buy a grafted tree.
I love the flavours of passion fruit, lychees and mangoes and the Achache has to be my favourite of all the flavours! I did try the recipe for the drink and it really does have a refreshing tangy-like flavour. Yum, yum! I bought them at Coles Albany Creek and am going back tomorrow for more!!
Yes they really are a delicious fruit Antonella
Saw some at woollies Nelson Bay today, thought they were Loquats, but will be back there tomorrow to buy some, do you think they would grow here?
Unlikely they would grow in Nelson Bay Betty, as my understanding is that they require a tropical climate. Maybe check with your local nursery.
Can you tell me where I can buy a tree and how big do they grow to
Hi Marissa, best you contact Achacha Australia direct for the answers to your questions – http://achacha.com.au/