Jamaican Tropical Fruit

Port Antonio, Jamaica – When you live in Jamaica it’s easy to take tropical fruit very much for granted. After living in the UK and Canada for so many years I long for a juicy mango or a flavourful slice of papaya. That’s why when I’m in Jamaica I can’t wait to get my fill of sweet fresh fruit. And, luckily it’s easy to find a wide variety of naturally ripened fruit being sold in markets and roadside stalls … and literally hanging from trees.
 
While we were in Port Antonio we visited the market with our cook/housekeeper from Goblin Hill Villas, the lovely Mary White. There we picked up ingredients for our meals, which included lots of fruit, some of which I hadn’t had in years!
 
Every morning Mary would serve a fresh fruit platter. All I can say is that there’s nothing like the sweet flavour of a Julie or East Indian mango to wake up the senses. And, I generally only eat papaya (or paw paw as we Jamaicans call it) when I’m in Jamaica, or somewhere else tropical, because it’s so sweet and delicious there it’s almost like eating a completely different fruit when compared to the ones I can find elsewhere.
 
Goblin Hill Villas opened in 1972 as a timeshare development but later reopened as a resort featuring townhouse-style villas. There are no restaurants on the property, instead our accommodations included the services of Mary, a cook/housekeeper. We did, however, have to provide the cooking ingredients. We brought ours with us, but you can also have Goblin Hill do the shopping for you instead. We recommend requesting a “cooking lesson,” since your cook will be happy to teach you how to make some of their dishes.
 
At the market we bought chicken, fresh fish and lots of different fruits and vegetables.
In the video below, Mary and I talk about the various Jamaican tropical fruit we purchased and provide advice on eating them, including the ever popular (and elusive) soursop.
 
The video runs about 8 minutes and was shot on location at Goblin Hill Villas on the northeast coast of Jamaica. A lot of you have been asking about soursop, so make sure to watch to the end of the video where I share ideas about where to purchase it in your city.