If you like nutrition packed dried fruits like wild mulberries or goji berries , you may want to try these incan (golden) berries from South America! These actually have three different names the Cape Gooseberry, the Goldenberry and the Incan berry. Sometimes these are called Incan berries or Goldenberries. Larger than a raisin or goji berry, yellow/orange in color, has a flavor like a sweet and sour lemon candy and is full of tiny healthy seeds. These berries are currently organic transitional, grown harmonically with nature and certified organic. Cultivated in the Incan Empire in days past, these fully-ripe, sun-dried incan berries (or goldenberries, or Cape Gooseberry) are sweet with an awesome tart zest and contain small chewable seeds. These Incan berries are packed with nutrition.
Incan berries are considered a good source of vitamin P (bioflavinoids) and are rich in pectin. Hundreds of studies on bioflavinoids have demonstrated they possess antiviral, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antihistamine, and antioxidant activities. They make a delicious, tart, and highly nutritious and exotic "raisin." They are high in phosphorous, vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B6, and B12. They are also extremely high in protein (16%) for a fruit.
Incan Berries or Goldenberries are also called cape gooseberry or agauaymanto berry. Locally called mullaca, uvilla, uchuva, the plant is an annual herb indigenous to many parts of the tropics, including the Amazon. It can be found on most continents in the tropics, including Africa, Asia, and the Americas. It grows up to 1 m high, bears small, cream-colored flowers, and produces small, light yellowish-orange, edible fruit. The leaves of the plant have many ethnobotanical uses around the world. The goldenberry is one of the first plants to pioneer degraded areas. Its robustness and adaptability could lead to cultivation in many now unused marginal areas.
The fruit is found in markets from Venezuela to Chile, and the plants have been grown on limited scale around the world in warm climates. Incan or Goldenberries are succulent golden fruits the size of marbles. They are protected by papery husks resembling Chinese lanterns. Currently in areas where they are grown they are largely regarded as backyard fruits for children, but upscale European markets pay premium prices for them, dipping them in chocolate to decorate pastries. They make excellent jams, which are popular in India and Africa.
Eat the Incan Berries straight out of the bag, or try them in a raw recipes or smoothie. When you're looking for that post-dinner or movie snack, these will fill the space. A little go a long way. And they need no refrigeration.
