Dulce de Jumbaleen
The jumbaleen or grossella (Phyllanthus acidus) is a small fruit with a sweet and sour taste which grows in bunches on trees growing spontaneously up to between 3 and 6 metres on the island. It is more common to find these trees on the island of Providencia as the trees on the island of San Andrés have mostly been wiped out by a plague.
Currently fruit is brought from one island to the other to make preserves known as dulce de jmubaleen or “stew jumbaleen.” The fruit is light green or yellow in colour, with a maximum diameter of 1 cm. Its flavour, even once mature, is intensely acidic and the fruit is harvested during the months of May through to September.
In order to prepare stew jumbaleen, miel de caña (similar to molasses) or syrup is used as well as other fruits. The fruits are boiled to reduce the acidity for approximately 20 min and then the water is changed and brought to the boil once again. As the water starts to boil once again, sugar or miel de caña is added. The liquid is then reduced until it becomes a syrup that covers the fruit. The preparation of this fruit is tied to the traditional forms of preservation.
Stew jumbaleen is usually made by women and sold to natives and tourists at the Fair Tables. According to common anecdotal evidence, when this pickle was made at home women would place it in the rafters of the roof (called zarzos) so that children would not be able to reach them. However, at night, the children would sneak out of their rooms to find and eat the pickles.
Back to the archive >Para preparar la conserva de jumbaleen se usa la miel de caña o syrup y las frutas. Los frutos se ponen a hervir en agua para sacar el ácido luego de aproximadamente 20 minutos de estar hirviendo se bota el agua de la cocción y se agrega agua fresca nuevamente se deja hervir, una vez ha alcanzado el punto de ebullición se le agrega mil de caña y si no se cuenta con este ingrediente se adhiere azúcar, hasta que hay una reducción del líquido que se convierte en un melado que recubre la fruta. La preparación de estos dulces está ligada a las formas tradicionales de conservación de los alimentos; es una preparación donde las frutas se ponen a hervir en miel de caña o syrup, de esta manera las frutas podían conservarse durante meses incluso años.
Le dulce de jumbaleen es usualmente hechas por las mujeres y son ofrecidas a la venta para los nativos y turistas en las fair tables. Es común encontrarse con historias de los mayores que cuentan que cuando se prepara esta dulce en la casa las mujeres, mamás o abuelas solían ponerlo en las partes altas de las casas llamadas zarzos para evitar que estuvieran al alcance de los más jóvenes, pero ellos en las noches a hurtadillas salían de sus habitaciones a buscarlos y comerlos.
