11 October, 2021
Estimated Reading Time : 1 minute, 2 seconds
Caimito is a typical fruit from Costa Rica, it bears a great resemblance to the Asian fruit mangosteen. Caimito is rich in vitamin C and calcium, it is round and usually purple in color, about the size of an egg. It is characterized by its hard and shiny skin, with a soft and juicy interior.
One of the characteristics of caimito is its stickiness when you eat it, but that's not a problem. If you notice that stickiness in your mouth, you can clean it by rubbing the outer part of the caimito, and in seconds, you'll be clean. It is said that to remove the stain from your mouth, just wipe with the fruit's leaf.
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If you don't want your mouth to get dirty, you can cut the fruit in half and eat it with a spoon. To know if the caimito is ready to eat, it should be soft to the touch; at first glance, you won't know, but its strong smell can indicate that it's ready. Moreover, in Costa Rica, it is used as a phytotherapeutic remedy; for congestion, it is ideal as an expectorant, a good diuretic, and in case of fever, it is ideal for treatment and lowering the temperature. In cases of bleeding, caimito is very effective in stopping it.
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Besides eating it as fruit and for its medicinal uses, in the Atlantic region of Costa Rica, they prepare a recipe called "matrimonio", where they mix caimito pulp with sour orange juice. If you visit this area, you cannot miss this dessert.
