Unripe, green-colored noni has a sharp, bitter, and astringent flavor that will leave a numbing effect on your tongue like horseradish, but as the fruit ripens, the flavor of ripe noni will mature with it.
I was still not discouraged from making this juice, but I had not bought the glass jars yet and something needed to be done with them immediately. Drastic measures. I decided to try to speed up the process by slowly cooking them. This was my big mistake. I don’t think that smell will ever leave my nostrils. Do not try this at home!!!
I, of course, did not know this when I had the bright idea to purchase an entire grocery bag-full at the farmer’s market last week. They were not ripe yet. They were on sale. I felt lucky — oh look! Noni fruit! I can make juice, drink it, and live forever! Yay noni!
I looked up nonis on the internet. To make the juice, you have to leave them in sealed glass containers in the sun for 6 weeks while they rot, boil the jars to kill the bacteria, and then drink the slime or something like that. I don’t really remember and don’t really want to, either. The whole process sounded a little gross. I was still game, though, because the nonis were not yet ripe. They were green, the instructions told me to wait until they had ripened into a nice yellow or brown.
The main reason people opt to eat a fruit so off-putting is its purported health benefits. All parts of the plant are used to treat ailments as diverse as toothaches, cancer, attention deficit disorder, bruises, and addiction. It also plays a role in traditional ceremonies: Polynesian shamans will use the fruit to ward off evil spirits since it smells so bad that even ghosts give it a wide berth.
You might not expect something that goes by names such as “vomit fruit,” “dog dumpling,” and “starvation fruit” to be popular. However, noni is so widespread that the fresh fruit is consumed across the globe. Supplements made from noni are estimated to bring in millions of dollars annually. Not bad for a fruit that tastes like rotten cheese.
The fruit is most commonly consumed when fully ripe. At this stage, the outside turns white and feels soft and smooth, while the flavor develops into a combination of sharp cheese, lemon, and vomit. The few who consume overripe noni heavily dilute it. The brown, fermented fruit is too foul to consume on its own.
Noni known for health benefits
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