Cheese fruit is a tropical fruit more commonly known as great morinda or the Indian mulberry. The cheese fruit has many names and is referred to by its local names like nunaakai in Tamil Nadu, India, mengkudu in Malaysia and Indonesia, dog dumpling in Barbados, pace in Javanese, beach mulberry, noni or cheese fruit in Hawaii and kumudu in Balinese. The cheese fruit tree belongs to the coffee family of Rubiaceae. The scientific name of cheese fruit is Morinda citrifolia and is found along the tropics. The fruit is believed to have many medicinal properties in addition to being used in regular cooking.

• Eating Cheese Fruit

The pungent smell of cheese fruit gives it the name of vomit fruit too. The smell mostly manages to discourage people from trying to eat cheese fruit. Those who actually hold their nose and bite into it would discover that cheese fruit tastes like blue veined cheese and hot mustard. Surprisingly, in spite of the smell, people tend to like this tropical fruit once they brave the odds and take a bite. Cheese fruit is used in a variety of dishes and medicines. Given below are some ways the fruit is used.

1. Cheese fruit can be blended with Macadamia nuts to make a delicious salad dressing.

2. Juice of cheese fruit can be extracted and mixed with coconut milk or water and consumed for curing the painful disease of ciguatera.

3. The green cheese fruit can be cut up and used as a vegetable.

4. Eating noni fruit raw has been found to be effective against influenza, diarrhea, asthma, common cold, coughs and sore throats.

5. The leaves of the fruit are edible and can be eaten either raw or cooked.

6. The juice of cheese fruit is used in alternate medicine.

• Nutrient Content of Cheese Fruit

Cheese fruit is high in dietary fiber and carbohydrates. Other nutrients present in the fruit include vitamin C, niacin, iron, potassium, vitamin A, calcium and sodium. The high vitamin C content is the highlight of the noni fruit as well as juice.

Cheese fruit may have a detestable odor but the fruit has many benefits!

Image credit: wettropics.gov.au/