We’ve seen vomit fruit on I’m a Celebrity, seen how the celebs take one whiff of it during Bushtucker Trials and confirm, by the expression on their faces, that is does indeed smell like vomit. But what exactly is this foul fruit?
How to find vomit fruit
It’s actual name is Noni fruit and it’s a tropical fruit, indigenous to Polynesia but spread across Australasia by sailors. Noni – or Morinda citrifiolia – is a tree in the coffee family, Rubiaceae.
It’s fruit is lumpy and a greeny yellow – your classic vomit shade – but as it ripens it becomes white or grey, its flesh translucent and gelatinous. Again, very vomity, though its nickname actually comes from its odour.
The smell
The smell of it has been likened to blue cheese – another name for it is cheese fruit – but most agree that vomit is the major note here.
The taste
The flavour of vomit fruit isn’t great either, very pungent and bitter, a combination of sweet and sour flavours, on the tart side. People rarely consume it raw, as they do in I’m a Celebrity, cooking it takes the edge off and its often used in condiments and juices, or in curries.
Is it good for you?
In actual fact vomit fruit is pretty good for you. It has nutrients like vitamins C, A and B, potassium, calcium, iron and antioxidents. As such, it has been a staple of traditional Indonesian medicine for centuries and in Hawaii too, and it has been used by the cosmetic industry to make soap and lotions. It is often celebrated as a symbol of good health and fortune.
But is it worth it?
Well, if you’re a celebrity in need of some stars to win a meal, it is most certainly worth eating; preferable to a bull’s penis at least.
But for the rest of us, it’s probably not going to replace the apple any time soon. It’s important to note that indigenous people also called it ‘starvation fruit’: they’d only eat it during famines.
