Look at the pictures very, very closely. The topmost is of fruits with leaves growing out of their flesh. The leaves make the fruits seem as if they have wings, like Mercury the messenger of the gods.

This has recently been the subject of speculation at the Book of Rai forum. Jacqui, one of the members in Jamaica, found this growing in her mother’s greenhouse. The fruits grow from a vine, are approximately 2 cm. in diametre, have 3-4 soft black seeds and have the feel of thick-skinned grapes. The vine seems to bear fruit once a year, in December.

The bottom left picture shows a fruit on a spoon. That’s the size. It also shows a vertical cross-section. The picture on the right shows the leaves where they grow out of the skin.

Jacqui says:

“I notice that when I open the fruit close to the skin there seems to be a small fibre which seems to be where the leaf attaches to the interior of the fruit in the second photo I have tried to show this fibre.”

Have you seen anything like this wonderfully mind-boggling piece of creation? What is it called? Where is it from? Feel free to download the graphic to post on blogs, fora and boards. OOOHHH please do let us know what it’s called before nothing’s left between our ears. Hmmm… I should speak for myself, hehehe! My drain’s about to bry out.

Update: Stef found out from someone at the GardenWeb forums that the fruit indeed comes from a climbing leafy cactus, the Barbados gooseberry - Pereskia aculeata Mill.

Just in case you find some posts down or without pictures, don’t be surprised as I’m doing a bit of spring cleaning. I realised how my earliest posts were meant for friends abroad - mostly cooking for the first time out of necessity - and see how my initial recipes were tailored for them. These were simplified versions of classics they requested.

This blog is not exactly meant for just that anymore and so I’m revising the recipes to reflect how they are supposed to be cooked in a traditional kitchen, with my usual rambling annotation if time permits. Notes for the harried cook will be provided towards the end.

By the way, I’ve also updated the second duman post with a link to the video of pounding the roasted rice. Click on this link to view. Make sure to turn on your speakers! I hope you like it!

Now you can Don’t download the graphic! Two souls with much more artistic inclinations than I have took pity on the banner. We’re still It’s temporary but I need to redirecting you to Ting’s for the announcement of Lasang Pinoy 6: Let’s wash it down with booze!!

What is this about, cooking with alcohol? Oh no, no! It’s what we Filipinos call pulutan. Pulutan?!?! Etymology is pulot - to pick up. But isn’t all food…?! Well, head over to Ting’s to learn more about this. Join us in the fun. Let me know if you need a blog to host your entry. Deadline’s on the 31st of this month. Lots of time, lots of time!