Exotic fruit hala: description and properties

What is a chala fruit? The answer to this difficult question you will learn from the materials of this article. Also we will tell you about how to use the product in question, what useful properties it has, what it tastes, how it is used in cooking, and so on.

General information about exotic fruit

Hala fruit is an exotic fruit of the plant, which belongs to the family Pandanova, as well as the order Pandanotsvetny, Class Monocotyledons and the Department of Angiosperms.

One can not help saying that the Pandan family includes more than 800 plant species, which is 4 genera.

The halo fruit is the root "inhabitant" of the tropical regions of the Eastern Hemisphere (that is, Oceania). Plants of the Pandanova family grow in Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, Madagascar, Southeast Asia, Australia, Africa, Indochina and India.

In each country, the fruit of the chala has its own name. According to this or that language, it sounds and is written in different ways. In our country such an exotic product is simply called a hala (from Latin Hala).

Peculiarities of growing

Now you know where the exotic fruit of the chala grows. However, it should be noted that thanks to the plant breeders, the Pandanian plants have readily adopted not only in the tropical regions of the Eastern Hemisphere, but are also quite successfully grown in the gardens and vegetable gardens of California, Florida, Puerto Rico, etc. Moreover, decorative, Kinds, and useful, edible.

Exotic fruit is very often found in greenhouses. Although, according to experts, to make this plant grow fruited in greenhouse conditions, it requires special care. Therefore, in greenhouses it is never left without attention, always surrounded by care and love.

On what soil is growing?

Exotic fruit hala, a photo of which is presented in this article, is especially popular in Hawaii. Local residents say that the plants of the Pandan family are very curious and enduring. What is the reason for this? The fact is that in warm countries such trees can successfully grow and bear fruit in any, even in the most dubious conditions. However, this depends on the particular plant species.

Some species of pandanaceae occur on the sea coasts. It does not matter what kind of soil (sandy or stony). The plant can bear fruit both in dunes, and on cliffs or embankments.

It should also be noted that such trees often grow around water bodies (for example, along the shores of tropical marshes and lakes, in river floodplains), in tropical forests (dry, wet, mountainous or mountainous), in the sea or in the ocean (on atolls or coral reefs ).

In addition, limestone rocks, as well as extinct and dormant volcanoes, are suitable for the growth of plants of the Pandan family.

Description of the plant

It is cozy to feel in any place Pandanas are helped by strong stilted roots, which sit firmly in the soil. They save the plant in strong winds and even hurricanes.

According to the inhabitants of those countries where pandans grow, their "blood" seems to contain an adaptation program to survive in completely different conditions and localities. Trees easily adapt to the environment and can even change their appearance.

Depending on the place of growth pandans can be 30-meter giants, and low shrubs.

One can not help saying that such trees have increased resistance to numerous diseases and pests.

Hala Fruit: description

On the branches of the wonder-trees of the Pandanova family, exotic fruits that have the original name "hala" grow. They are very large and have a large number of seeds.

According to experts, pandan roofing tree is a dioecious plant. And to distinguish his sex is not so difficult. Usually, male flowers are small in size. They are very fragrant, form clusters or inflorescences and live only one day.

As for the female flowers, or rather the fruit, they are pretty much like pineapples. Round, with a lot of seeds, pineapple copulations are knuckles, tightly pressed together. In the immature form, the fruits of pandan wood have a light green color. But as it ripens, the halo becomes yellow, red, bluish or even purple.

Surprisingly, with their impressive size, such fruits are very light.

Variety of plants

As mentioned above, the plant Pandanova family has many species. Depending on this, the fruit of the chala can be ovoid, elliptical or spherical. The diameter of the fruit often reaches 20-30 cm.

Fruits of many species of this plant can be eaten. For example, the species Pandanus fragrans is cultivated precisely because of its edible fruits, which are called Nicobar breadfruit.

Beneficial features

Now you know what a hula fruit is. Useful properties of this product are known to many residents of Australia, as well as the islands of Oceania. For them, the fruits of cultivars of the Pandanova family are a familiar food. Together with such a fruit in their body comes a huge amount of vitamin C, vegetable protein, fats, macro and microelements.

Few people know, but this plant is often used and for medical purposes. From its flowers are brewed tea, which serves as an excellent mucolytic agent. The root of pandanum tree is used for antipyretic and diuretic effects.

How does it affect the body?

As for the fruits themselves, their regular use has a calming effect. Thanks to the presence of vitamins and minerals, such a fruit is able to tone and strengthen the nerves.

The fruit is very nutritious. It is ideal for strengthening the body. Including many useful substances (folic acid, fiber, iron, starch, phosphorus and potassium), this exotic product is easily digested and represents an excellent immunostimulant.

Product Application

How is the fruit of the hala used? How is it eaten? Fruits of pandan trees can be eaten both raw and cooked. Of bright yellow or red-orange spherical fruit, mashed potatoes on coconut milk, as well as steam cakes.

Often, this fruit is prepared with the most delicious drink, which is saturated with fats, proteins and vitamins. To do this, the collected fruits are dried and ground into a powder. Then it is diluted with water and mixed with palm syrup.

Fruits, as well as leaves of pandanum, are often used as a natural dye, flavor. A lot of desserts and drinks in the Eastern Hemisphere have an unusual green color and a special flavor. Such properties impart leaves and fruits to the dishes.

The most famous dessert, prepared from panda fruit, is a custard. It is not a curiosity for residents of Hawaii and Australia and bread of emerald color.

By the way, not only fruits but also kernels of kernels go to food. To do this, the oily-nut core is dried or smoked. It should also be noted that from the fruits of Pandanus leram (native to the Moluccas Islands) they receive flour, from which they later bake unusual bread.

The fetus in question is a traditional food product in Micronesia. He is also constantly present in Maldivian cuisine.

If you decide to cook your own dish from the product in question, then you will not succeed. After all, only experienced culinary experts in Oceania know how to process and cook this exotic fruit - hala.

What does it taste like? Fruit tree pandan refers to the fruit of an amateur. It tastes sweet and a little bit tart. It is unlikely that residents of our country would include it in their daily diet.

Use cases

Now you know how the fruit of the hala (how it is eaten) is used in cooking. However, it should be noted that in Australia and some other countries, not only the fruits of the pandan tree, but also its leaves are added to food. They are dried and ground, and then used as a seasoning for sweet dishes (for example, jam). The inhabitants of Oceania claim that such a powder not only gives the desserts an excellent taste, but also has medicinal properties. It improves digestion and is a good diuretic.

By the way, pandanus tree leaves are used for weaving baskets, rugs, sails for canoes, toys, cuffs, balls, traditional garlands around the neck, etc. They are also used as a mattress pad.

From the roots make hats and mats. In addition, they are used in the construction of the walls of houses (as backups). Also from the stilted roots are made handles for brushes and baskets. In addition, dyes and medicinal substances are extracted from them.

Large branches are used to cover houses. They make skirts and other clothes. Trunks of trees also do not disappear. They are an excellent material for building houses, making compost, rafts, charcoal, traps for fish, various boxes, vases, etc.

One can not help saying that the halo (fruit), the photo of which you can find in the article presented, as well as its inflorescences are often used to obtain fragrant essential oils, which are subsequently used for perfume needs.

Sometimes the flowers, flower buds and lower parts of the leaves of the inhabitants of Oceania are simply eaten as ordinary products or used to make all kinds of salads.

Of the seeds that remain after cleaning the fruit, press the oil. It is often used for refueling exotic dishes.

Harmful to the product

Can a negative effect on the human body affect fruit hala? The benefits and harms of this exotic fetus are the cause of many experts disputes. A large number of scientists say that eating such a fruit is strictly forbidden. This can lead to severe diarrhea, and subsequently to a violation of the water-electrolyte balance.

According to the opinion of most experts, the exotic fruit under consideration and the tree on which it grows really contain a huge amount of nutrients. But that they have a beneficial effect on the body, they should make medicines, and not eat.

As for the inhabitants of those states where the pandan tree grows, they claim that this plant has quite a few species, on which not only edible, but also very tasty and useful fruits grow. Although they also say that eating a halo fruit should be done with extreme caution, especially in raw form. It should be prepared only by an experienced culinary expert, who knows which parts of the fruit can be added to the dishes, and which are not.

The damage to the heat-treated fruit of the chala can only inflict on those who have used it in great numbers with unaccustomed use. As for the inhabitants of Oceania, Southeast Asia and the Eastern Hemisphere as a whole, their body has long been accustomed to this fetus, therefore it absorbs only useful and nutritious substances. For them, such a product poses no danger, which can not be said of tourists who visit Hawaii, Australia and other hot countries every year.

Let's sum up the results

Now you know where grows and how to use exotic fruit hala. You can hardly buy such a fruit in Russian stores. However, one should not rush with its use and on arrival in the tropical countries. First make sure that it was ripped off from the cultivated tree and cooked according to all local rules. Only in this case you can enjoy the taste of this unusual exotic fruit.