Amazon Tropical Fruits
Local Amazonian Ecuadorian Fruits
Amazon Tree Grape or Uva de Monte
Pourouma cecropiifolia or the Amazon tree grape are sweet fruits, is a species of Pourouma, native to tropical South America, in the western Amazon Basin in northern Bolivia, western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and southern Venezuela.
Rambutan or Achotillo
Nephelium lappaceum or rambutan is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae that is sweet. The name also refers to the edible fruit produced by this tree. The rambutan is native to Southeast Asia, but is also grown in many other places in the tropical areas in the world. It is closely related to several other edible tropical fruits including the lychee, longan, pulasan, and guinep.
Maqueño Plantain
The Plantain Maqueño (Matoki), has an appearance similar to Banana; but much thicker and cylindrical in appearance, it is a fruit, which like the Barraganete Plantain. Since it is very sweet when ripe, it is ideally used to make desserts.
Orito Banana
The orito is a smaller variant of the banana, approximately 12 cm long and with a sweeter flavor. It is also called in English “finger banana” or “lady finger” for its dimensions similar to a finger. When ripe, it has yellow skin and almost white, creamy pulp with a high consistency.
Dragonfruit, Pitahaya or Pitaya
The dragfruit, pitahaya or pitaya is a fruit of several different cactus species indigenous to the region of southern Mexico and along the Pacific coasts of Guatemala, Costa Rica, and El Salvador, but is now cultivated in East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the United States, the Caribbean, Australia, and throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Pitaya usually refers to fruit of the genus Stenocereus, while pitahaya or dragon fruit refers to fruit of the genus Selenicereus (formerly Hylocereus), both in the family Cactaceae. The common name in English – dragon fruit – derives from the leather-like skin and scaly spikes on the fruit exterior. Depending on the variety, pitaya fruits may have sweet- or sour-tasting flesh that can be red, white, or yellow in color.
Peanut Butter Fruit or Ciruela de fraile
Bunchosia glandulifera, commonly known as peanut butter fruit, is a species of flowering plant in the acerola family, Malpighiaceae, that is native to Central America and South America. It produces small orange-red fruits of sticky and dense pulp, with a flavour and aroma resembling that of peanut butter. It is mostly eaten fresh. The superficial appearance of the berries are similar to coffee and in Brazil is accordingly called caferana or falso guarana.
Iñaku or Paso
Gustavia macarenensisor more commonly known as iñaku (or iniáku) in Shuar or paso in Kichwa language is a rare Amazon fruit native from South East Ecuador jungles.
Papaya
The papaya, papaw, or pawpaw is the plant species Carica papaya, one of the 21 accepted species in the genus Carica of the family Caricaceae. It was first domesticated in Mesoamerica, within modern-day southern Mexico and Central America.
Naranjilla
Solanum quitoense, known as naranjilla “little orange” in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Panama and as lulo, from Quechua in Colombia, is a tropical perennial plant from northwestern South America. The specific name for this species of nightshade means “from Quito.” The fruit has a citrus flavour, sometimes described as a combination of rhubarb and lime.
Madrono
The fruit looks like a shrivelled droopy lemon, and has a similar rind. The interior is soft white pulp and has a slight citrus taste. The fruit is not very well known outside of South America.
Badea
Passiflora quadrangularis, the giant granadilla, barbadine (Trinidad), grenadine (Haiti), giant tumbo or badea, is a species of plant in the family Passifloraceae. It produces the largest fruit of any species within the genus Passiflora. It is a perennial climber native to the Neotropics.
Arazá
Spanish common name arazá, also known as membrio, is a fruit tree native to the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil, Colombia and Ecuador. Very sour fruit usually added to juices.
Hot Pepper or Ají
Hot peppers or chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add “heat” to dishes. Capsaicin and related compounds known as capsaicinoids are the substances giving chili peppers their intensity when ingested or applied topically. Chili peppers are believed to have originated somewhere in Central or South America. and were first cultivated in Mexico.
Noni
Morinda citrifolia is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Its native range extends across Southeast Asia and Australasia, and was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors. The species is now cultivated throughout the tropics and widely naturalized. Among some 100 names for the fruit across different regions are the more common English names of great morinda, Indian mulberry, noni, beach mulberry, vomit fruit and cheese fruit. The fresh fruit’s strong, vomit-like odor has made it a famine food in most regions, but it remains a staple food among some cultures, and has been used in traditional medicine and as juices.
Borajó
Alibertia patinoi better known as borajó is native to Costa Rica and Esmeraldas, Ecuador. Non-sweet fruit. Green when unripe, brown to black when ripe. Falls from the tree when ripe. The fruit is large (about 12 cm in length), with a round shape and brown color and average weight of 740-1000 grams. The pulp represents 88% of the total weight. Each fruit has 90 to 640 seeds. Borojo is used in the preparation of jam, wine, desserts and traditional medicines with supposed aphrodisiac effects. It is also used by the local communities against hypertension, bronchial diseases and malnutrition.
Other Fruits That Grow in Ecuador Amazon
Durian, Jackfruit, Chempedak, chempajak, salak, and more!
Coming soon