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Is lulo a fruit or vegetable?

Lulo are small, round fruits, around 6 centimeters in diameter and topped with a persistent calyx.

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Description/Taste

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Lulo are small, round fruits, around 6 centimeters in diameter and topped with a persistent calyx. When mature the thick peel is bright orange with a smooth, leathery texture and may be covered in fine, spiky hairs that are easily brushed off. The greenish pulp is separated into four sections and has a jelly-like consistency and small, pale yellow seeds. The flavor is slightly sweet and acidic with notes of citrus, pineapple and kiwi. Ripe Lulo are delicate and easily bruised.Lulo are available year-round with a peak season in the winter months.Lulo or Naranjilla, which means "little orange" in Spanish, are the fruits of a large, sub-tropical, bushy plant. They are also referred to as Naranjilla de Quito and are botanically classified as Solanum quitoense. Lulo is a member of the nightshade family and is related to eggplants, tamarillo and tomatoes. The plants have the characteristic fuzzy leaves and fruits with some varieties bearing one-inch-long purple spines on the leaves and stems. Lulo are generally harvested while still semi-green and under-ripe to protect the fruit during transit and their fuzzy coating removed before reaching the market.Lulo are a good source of fiber, vitamins A, C, and K, carotene, and phosphorus. They also contain calcium and small amounts of B-complex vitamins and iron.Lulo are often eaten raw, the fruit cut in half, salted and the pulp squeezed out and rinds discarded. Unripe fruits will take up to a week to ripen, the skin darkening and texture softening. They are most common used for making juice. Lulos can be made into jams, jellies and sauces. The pulp is used as a filling in baked goods, often paired with bananas, and for making ice cream, sherbet, or sorbet. They are used in savory meat stews and secos. In Colombia, Lulo juice is fermented into wine. Lulo is highly perishable once ripe and will only keep for a day or two at room temperature once ripe. Unripe fruits will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator.Lulo fruits and fresh juice were included among the exhibitions at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. For a time, the juice garnered interest and seeds made their way to the United States Department of Agriculture. Despite the interest cultivation in the United States was not successful. Cultivation in Colombia has increased and several companies there produce pulp and juice, which are sold fresh or frozen and are available year-round online and in Latin markets.Lulo fruit are native to the low mountains of western South America and was first mentioned in mid-17th century records from Ecuador and Colombia. Today, they are grown year-round in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador in South America and in the Central American countries of Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala. There are four different varieties, smooth, thorny, jungle (sela) and purple (chonto morado), referring to characteristics of the plant. Cultivated varieties tend to have fewer spines on the stems and leaves. Most of the fruits used for commercial production are cultivated in Ecuador. It is rare to find Lulo outside of South America, though they may be spotted in southern Florida and Australia.Recipes that include Lulo. Oneis easiest, three is harder.People have shared Lulo using the Specialty Produce app for iPhone and Android Produce Sharing allows you to share your produce discoveries with your neighbors and the world! Is your market carrying green dragon apples? Is a chef doing things with shaved fennel that are out of this world? Pinpoint your location annonymously through the Specialty Produce App and let others know about unique flavors that are around them.

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