By Kate Magic
I recently had the privilege of visiting the factory in Peru where our golden berries are processed, and learning more about this wonderful fruit.
Golden berries grow all across the world and are known by lots of different names: Physalis, Chinese gooseberries, Cape gooseberries, Incan berries and Golden berries. They are native to South America, but also grow in Asia. They are tart little balls, a little smaller than cherry tomatoes, which explode with juiciness in your mouth, encased in a delicate paper shell that makes it seem that they were packaged up by the fairies, just for you. Often, when I eat fruits like these and raspberries, I marvel at how incredible it is that mother nature has created them to be the most perfect candies for us. I was eating a lot of them in Peru, it's easy to find them and they are so fresh and tangy. When we get them in the UK, they are usually a bit old, so I took advantage of being where they grew, and enjoyed them for breakfast frequently.
But of course, they are not just delicious, but fall into the category of super fruits for their high nutrient profile. They are high in antioxidants and rich in Vit. C (1 cup fresh berries contains 15mg). Like goji berries, they are a good source of beta-carotene. They are also known for their bioflavinoid content, which acts as an anti-inflammatory.
In the factory, I watched the workers remove the paper husks from the fruits at lightening speed; each worker can process around 20kg berries per hour. I was also pleased to learn that the husks are composted, and then the compost is returned to the farmers, to minimise wastage. Once they have been prepared and inspected, they are sent off to the industrial dryers, where they are dried at low temperatures in order to preserve nutrients.
I love to snack on a small handful of golden berries. They pair particularly well with cacao, and often when I am making my raw chocolate creations, I stir some into the chocolate. There's an awesome raw chocolate cake recipe in my Magic Kitchen book called Inca Redible Cake! There's also a Golden Salsa recipe there as well.
Buy Raw Living Peruvian Golden Berries here.
