Abiu

One of the great pleasures about traveling is being able to taste food of the culture and learn that you’re in. I would even go as far to say that opening your taste buds can help open your heart and mind.

When we landed on Tahiti, I knew that I wanted to pick up food supplies to be able to cook once we got to our first location. Not having eaten much fruit for the past six months, fresh papaya, mango, finger bananas and other tropical fruits were at the top of my list. It was paradise to choose these tropical delights. Then I came across a small, yellow skinned fruit that I had never seen before but I knew that I needed to take them back and try them out. 

It turns out that fruit, whose name I learned is Aibu, is most delicious. It’s texture is like a custard but not sweet like a pastry custard. Sweet like a fresh tropical fruit sweet. It reminded me of lychee or guinep which are at the top of my favorite fruits list. Except that because it was larger there was more flesh. And the pit was black. My taste buds danced with when I tasted this Abiu. 

Apparently, this fruit originates in the Amazon. That’s not surprising. South America is due east. As Polynesian are famous for their remarkable navigation skills on the seas, I’m assuming that at some point the fruit made its way to the South Pacific where you can now find it on numerous islands.

I’m so glad that I have an open mind to try new things and that at least some of my family was willing to try some of it as well. Havana did not love the texture but that was not surprising. She has an aversion to soft textures and strong food smells. Don thought it was okay. Amara thought it was wonderful. While it may not be at the top of all of our new favorite foods here on Tahiti, at least we were open and willing to try something new. And isn't that what traveling is all about?