The Health Benefits of Pacay Fruit

Pacay trees are native to the coastal river valleys of Peru. Pacay is a legume, meaning it is a relative of green beans, snap peas, alfalfa, lentils, and peanuts.

 

Being in this family, it bears an unusual fruit for a tree that resembles a giant bean pod, with sweet, refreshing, cotton like edible fiber on the inside. The pods are generally narrow, straight, and sometimes as long as a person’s forearm.

 

They can easily be cracked open to expose the white, sugar-rich pulp, similar to cotton candy, surrounding the seeds.  Pacay fruit is delicious.

 

It is light and refreshing, with a hint of vanilla, and a mildly sweet flavour. The fruits of the trees are quite edible and are often consumed by people of regions where this fruit grows.

 

In Mexico, coffee-plantation workers can double their annual salary by selling the pods from the Inga trees used to shade the coffee plants.

 

It is widely grown, especially by indigenous Amazonians, for shade, food, timber, medicine, and production of the alcoholic beverage cachiri.

Pacay Fruit
Pacay Fruit

Crack one open to reveal a trail of white, cottony pulp surrounding black seeds. To enjoy, simply pop a section into your mouth, eat the pulp and spit out the remaining seed.

 

Fruits provide plenty of soluble dietary fiber, which helps to ward of cholesterol and fats from the body and to get relief from constipation as well.

 

Fruit’s health benefiting properties are because of their richness in vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, anti-oxidants, which helps the body prevent or at least prolong the natural changes of aging by protecting and rejuvenating cells, tissues and organs.

 

Fruits should be an important aspect of our everyday lives; it protects us from a variety of health conditions, and fights off infections like cold and influenza.

 

Fruits are delicious and not to mention nutritious, and can be enjoyed at any time of day.