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LUCUMA: a color, a fruit, a gallery...Why Lucuma Designs? Lucuma is before anything else a fruit. In Peru it is also used as the name for the orange-yellow color seen in the flesh of the ripened fruit and very close to the color shown in our logo. Lucuma Designs' products, like most of Peruvian folk art, are vibrant and very colorful, so we choose our name to reflect that.Lucuma, the fruit
Lucuma is a delicately flavored tropical fruit native to the cool highlands of South America. It is hardly possible to describe its flavor or aroma, but definitely it is one of my favorites. To get a taste of the fresh fruit you have to visit Peru in the summer months, from January to April in South America. If you go to Peru, remember to ask for lucuma ice cream made with the fresh fruit. It is just the best. While enjoying your fruit, check out the local markets and handcrafts. While Lucuma stimulates your sense of taste and smell, let the beauty of Peru fill your eyes. Here at Lucuma Designs we try to capture that zest for life present in the fuit of Lucuma, and with our product we hope you can add some Andean Spirit to your home too. I know there are some people trying to grow this fruit in the USA but don't really know if you can find it fresh anywhere. Although never the same, the best option you have in USA is to get it in its dehydrated form as lucuma flour or powder used for making ice creams. If you know anyone selling the fruit or the flour, be sure to let us know! The scientific name for this fruit is (Pouteria Lucuma) and it grows best at altitudes above 1,000 m. It has an ovoid shape 5 to 8 cm long, and when ripe it shows a green yellowish color. Pealing its thin skin reveals a dry and starchy orange-yellow flesh. Peru and Chile are the main producers and the bulk of the production is used in dehydrated form. Only a small percentage reaches the local markets to be consumed fresh. Once dehydrated, the lucuma powder is mainly used to flavor ice creams and other milk products. If you want to find more information about lucuma fruit try The California Rare Fruit Growers, I know they have been talking about it for some time. If you know how to get it here in the US I would love to hear about it. Where to find itAlthough you most likely won't find fresh lucuma in the states, you can find the frozen pulp at some latin markets and Lucuma powder and flour from these places. Check them out! And when you're done, don't forget about great Peruvian crafts right here at Lucuma.com! |
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