Poha

Every fruit grows from a flower. After a flower is pollinated, the petals fall away, and the base of the flower slowly grows into the fruit. The poha fruit grows inside a wrapper that is made from its own flower.

A poha flower has small green parts at its base called sepals. They wrap the flower bud before the bud opens. After the flower blooms and the petals fall off, the sepals keep growing. They close over the young poha fruit and dry into a thin, papery husk.

The husk protects the poha while it grows. Left inside its husk, a poha can stay fresh for weeks.

In Hawaii, this fruit is called poha. In other parts of the world, poha is called cape gooseberry. That name comes from the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, where poha was grown in the early 1800s. In stores on the mainland, poha is often sold as goldenberry.

Poha is native to the Andes Mountains of South America. In Peru, poha is called aguaymanto.

Poha belongs to the nightshade family, along with tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, and eggplant. Poha can taste sweet and tart.

When you peel open the husk, a yellow fruit means the poha is ripe. A green fruit means the poha is not ripe. Like other plants in the nightshade family, poha makes certain compounds in its green parts. Unripe poha contains enough of those compounds to upset your stomach, so only the ripe yellow fruit is eaten. The husk and the leaves are not eaten either.

Poha gives your body vitamin C, vitamin A, and fiber.

In Hawaii, some people turn poha into jam.

You are welcome to eat poha.

Stacy 🌺

Information in this post comes from my learning and research.

I share my experiences and my perspective. Eating and healing look different for everyone. If you are struggling with food or your relationship with your body, please find support. You don’t have to do this alone.