Patrick Oconnell
The Morinda citrifolia, also known as the cheese fruit, is a fruit-bearing tree native to Southeast Asia and Australasia. The ripe fruit has a pungent odour similar to blue cheese and is said to have a bitter taste. Despite this, it is consumed in various parts of the world and is believed to have several health benefits.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Common Names | Morinda citrifolia, great morinda, Indian mulberry, noni, beach mulberry, vomit fruit, rotten cheese fruit, starvation fruit, nance |
| Regions | Southeast Asia, Australasia, Polynesia, Mexico, Latin America |
| Taste | Bitter, vomit-like, sweet and savoury |
| Texture | The fruit is a multiple fruit consisting of fused drupes, each containing four seeds. |
| Colour | Initially green, transitioning through pale yellow to white or grey |
| Smell | Pungent, similar to blue cheese |
| Size | Up to 9x6 cm |
| Nutrition | Carbohydrates, dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B3, iron, potassium, vitamin A, calcium, sodium |
| Uses | Famine food, traditional medicine, dyes, dietary supplements, juice, capsules |
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What You'll Learn
- Mexican nance fruit is popular across Latin America and is described as having a sweet, savoury, cheesy taste
- Morinda citrifolia is also known as vomit fruit or rotten cheese fruit due to its strong smell and bitter taste
- The fruit is used as a staple food in some Pacific Islands and is consumed raw or cooked
- In traditional medicine, Morinda citrifolia is believed to have biological properties, but there is no clinical evidence to support this
- Noni fruit is known for its health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and tumours in mice, despite its vomit-like flavour
Mexican nance fruit is popular across Latin America and is described as having a sweet, savoury, cheesy taste
Mexican nance fruit, also known as golden spoon, yellow cherry, golden cherry, chaparro, nanche, mariaco, yaca, and many other names, is a small, tropical fruit with a unique taste. The flavour is often described as a combination of sweet and savoury, with an unusual cheesy aftertaste. The fruit is said to have notes of lychee, pear, banana, and apple, with a subtle hint of sourness, and an underlying tanginess akin to parmesan or cheddar cheese.
Nance fruit is native to Mexico and Central and South America, where it is widely popular. It is a good source of dietary fibre, vitamins, and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, and folate. The fruit is also believed to have health benefits, such as reducing the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. In addition to its nutritional value, nance is known for its strong and distinct aroma, described as a mix of floral, fruity, and sweet scents, with a peculiar, funky, cheese-like note.
The nance fruit is small, averaging 1 to 2 centimetres in diameter, with thin, smooth, semi-glossy, edible skin. The colour of the skin can vary from green to golden yellow, yellow-orange, or red, depending on the variety. The flesh is white to pale yellow, oily, and aqueous, with a soft, succulent, and mealy texture. Each fruit contains 1 to 3 brown-black inedible seeds that should be discarded before consuming.
Nance is a versatile fruit that can be eaten raw or cooked. In Mexico, it is commonly sold as a snack, with the fruits sprinkled in to-go containers with lime juice and chilli powder. It is also used in both sweet and savoury dishes, including salads, ice cream, sorbet, popsicles, syrups, and pickles. Nance is also fermented in sugar or vinegar to create sweet and sour condiments, and it is a key ingredient in traditional dishes such as pesada de nance, a creamy pudding-like dessert made with water, sugar, fruit, and cornstarch, and topped with fresh cheese or milk. In addition, nance is used to make alcoholic beverages like chicha and licor de nanche, a liquor produced in Mexico.
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Morinda citrifolia is also known as vomit fruit or rotten cheese fruit due to its strong smell and bitter taste
Morinda citrifolia, also known as noni, is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Native to Southeast Asia and Australasia, the species is now cultivated throughout the tropics. The fruit has over 100 names across different regions, including great morinda, Indian mulberry, beach mulberry, vomit fruit, and rotten cheese fruit. The latter two nicknames are due to its strong smell and bitter taste. The fresh fruit has a pungent odour, resembling blue cheese, and is considered a famine food in most regions. However, it remains a staple food among some cultures and is used in traditional medicine.
Morinda citrifolia grows in shady forests and on open rocky or sandy shores. The tree can grow up to 9 metres (30 feet) tall and has large, dark green, shiny, and deeply veined leaves. The fruit is a multiple fruit consisting of fused drupes, each containing four seeds. They are initially green, transitioning to pale yellow, white, or grey, and emit a pungent odour when ripe. The plants flower and fruit throughout the year, and it takes 18 months for the tree to mature.
Despite its strong smell and bitter taste, Morinda citrifolia has been consumed by indigenous peoples as emergency food during famines and, in some Pacific Islands, as a staple food, either raw or cooked. In Southeast Asian and Aboriginal Australian cultures, the fresh fruit is eaten with salt or cooked with curry, and the seeds are edible when roasted. In Thai cuisine, the leaves, known as bai-yo, are used as a vegetable and are the main ingredient in Kaeng bai-yo, cooked with coconut milk. In Cambodia, the leaves are an essential ingredient in the national dish, fish amok.
The fruit has also been used traditionally in Polynesian cultures as a general tonic and in Austronesian cultures for producing dyes. The bark yields a brownish-purplish dye used in batik, while the roots provide a yellowish dye for cloth. Although Morinda citrifolia is considered to have biological properties in traditional medicine, there is currently no confirmed evidence of clinical efficacy. However, studies have shown that noni reduces inflammation and tumours in mice, and dietary supplements are sold in various formats, such as capsules and juices.
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The fruit is used as a staple food in some Pacific Islands and is consumed raw or cooked
The Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as the noni or cheese fruit, is a tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Native to Southeast Asia and Australasia, it was spread across the Pacific by Polynesian sailors and Austronesian voyagers. The fruit is a multiple fruit consisting of fused drupes, each containing four seeds. They are initially green, turning pale yellow, then white or grey, and when ripe, they emit a pungent odour similar to blue cheese.
The cheese fruit is used as a staple food in some Pacific Islands and is consumed raw or cooked. Indigenous peoples also used the fruit as emergency food during famines, giving it names like "starvation fruit" and "vomit fruit". Despite its strong smell and bitter taste, the fruit remains a staple among some cultures and is used in traditional medicine. In Southeast Asian and Aboriginal Australian cultures, the fruit is consumed fresh with salt or cooked with curry. The seeds are edible when roasted.
In Thai cuisine, the leaves, known as bai-yo, are used as a vegetable and are the main ingredient in Kaeng bai-yo, cooked with coconut milk. The unripe fruit, known as luk-yo, is added as a salad ingredient to some versions of green papaya salad. In Cambodia, the leaves are an essential part of the national dish, fish amok. The fruit is also used to make dyes and dietary supplements in powder and juice forms.
The fruit pulp contains moderate amounts of carbohydrates and dietary fibre, as well as micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin B3, iron, and potassium. Vitamin A, calcium, and sodium are also present in moderate amounts. The juice contains 34 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, contributing to 64% of the daily value. While the taste and smell may be off-putting to some, the cheese fruit offers potential health benefits that have been tolerated by many.
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In traditional medicine, Morinda citrifolia is believed to have biological properties, but there is no clinical evidence to support this
The Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as the cheese fruit or noni, is a fruit-bearing tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae. Native to Southeast Asia and Australasia, the species has now been cultivated throughout the tropics. The fruit has a pungent odour, similar to blue cheese, and a bitter taste. Despite this, it is consumed as a staple food in some Pacific Islands, either raw or cooked. In traditional medicine, it is believed to have biological properties, however, there is a lack of clinical evidence to support this claim.
Morinda citrifolia has over 100 names across different regions, including great morinda, Indian mulberry, beach mulberry, vomit fruit, and rotten cheese fruit. The strong smell and bitter taste of the fruit have made it a famine food in many regions. However, in some cultures, it is a staple food and is used in traditional medicine. Indigenous peoples have also used the fruit as emergency food during famines, giving it the name "starvation fruit".
The fruit is a multiple fruit consisting of fused drupes, each containing four seeds. It is initially green, transitioning to pale yellow, white, or grey when ripe, and emits a pungent odour. The plants flower and fruit throughout the year and are commonly found in shady forests and on open rocky or sandy shores. It takes 18 months for the plant to mature, and it yields 4 to 8 kg of fruit per month. Morinda citrifolia is tolerant of various environmental conditions, including saline soils and drought.
While the fruit has been traditionally used in medicine, there is no confirmed evidence of its clinical efficacy. In 2018, a Hawaiian manufacturer was issued an FDA warning for making unsubstantiated health claims about products containing Morinda citrifolia. However, some studies have shown that the fruit may have potential health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and tumours in mice.
The fruit is known to contain moderate amounts of carbohydrates and dietary fibre, as well as micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin B3, iron, and potassium. Vitamin A, calcium, and sodium are also present in moderate quantities. These nutritional properties contribute to the perceived health benefits of the fruit.
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Noni fruit is known for its health benefits, such as reducing inflammation and tumours in mice, despite its vomit-like flavour
Noni, also known as vomit fruit or cheese fruit, is a fruit native to the Polynesian islands. It is scientifically known as Morinda citrifolia and is a member of the coffee family, Rubiaceae. The noni tree is a sturdy evergreen that thrives in various climates and terrains, including coastal areas, forests, cliffs, and phosphorus-rich lands near lava flows.
Noni fruit has a pungent and bitter taste, with an aroma often likened to vomit, cheese, fish, horseradish, or spoilt fruit. Despite its off-putting flavour and fragrance, noni has been used in traditional folk medicine for over 2,000 years, particularly in Polynesian, Southeast Asian, and Aboriginal Australian cultures. It is believed to possess medicinal properties and is used to treat health issues such as constipation, infections, pain, and arthritis.
In modern times, noni is mostly consumed as a juice blend, known as noni juice. This juice is packed with potent antioxidants, including iridoids, and has been the subject of numerous health studies. While many of the health claims associated with noni juice are unproven, some studies suggest that it may provide health benefits such as reducing inflammation and tumours in mice, protecting against tobacco smoke-induced DNA damage, improving joint health, increasing physical endurance, and aiding in weight management.
It is important to note that much of the research on noni juice has been conducted in vitro or on animals, and more human studies are needed to confirm the specific effects on human health. Additionally, the nutritional content of noni juice can vary widely by brand, so consumers should be cautious of potential false health claims and ensure they are purchasing from reputable sources.
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Frequently asked questions
Cheese fruit, also known as Morinda citrifolia, noni, or vomit fruit, has a vomit-like flavor. Despite its strong smell and bitter taste, it is consumed as a staple food in some Pacific Islands, either raw or cooked.
Mexican nance fruit is described as having a sweet, savory, and cheesy taste. It is a popular snack across Latin America and is abundant in spring and early summer.
Cheese fruit is rich in vitamin C, vitamin B3, iron, and potassium. It also contains moderate amounts of vitamin A, calcium, and sodium. Studies have shown that noni can reduce inflammation and tumors in mice, but the majority of health claims are unproven.
