Aromafruit

Basic Information

Anatomy

The Tree

Mature trees can reach anywhere from three to ten times the height of an adult. Leaves are smooth-edged and blade-shaped. The flowers are small and white with five petals and a sweet scent that is responsible for plant's name.

The Fruit

Aromafruits are mostly round, ranging in shape from slightly squat to slightly elongated. The largest are just slightly smaller than an adult head, and the smallest the size of a thumb, but most varieties fit comfortably in the hand. The rind texture is slightly bumpy. Colors range from green to a washed-out red. Under the rind is a sphere of numerous kidney-shaped sections, each a collection of juice-filled cells held together in a membrane. Even the sweetest aromafruits are strongly acidic, and overconsumption can damage teeth and mouth tissues.

Additional Information

Uses, Products & Exploitation

Aromafruits are bred in a number of varieties, on a spectrum from puckeringly sour to deliciously sweet, with a few bitter. The sweeter varieties are most often eaten plain, while those on the sour end are used to flavor cooking. The juice can also be drunk fresh or used as a base for other beverages. Most varieties have a thick peel that is inedible raw, but can be ground and dried and used as a seasoning or scent agent, or preserved and sweetened as a candy or sauce. The smaller sour aromafruits have thin rinds so they can be cut without peeling for easy use in cooking.
Miniature aromafruit trees can be grown as ornamental plants, although they are unlikely to produce mature fruit. These plants are the source of twigs, leaves, and flowers often used in the Galternene practice of creating visual displays called "speaking the heart". Individually, the flowers symbolize memory; an entire sprig with twig and leaves represents comfort.

Availability

Aromafruit is grown on every settled island in the Cluster. Galtern is the largest producer, but Tierq with its competitive orchardists boasts the greatest diversity in varieties. Their products are easier to come by in modern times thanks to the conduit boat trade, but are still too costly to be a standard part of the daily diet.

Hazards

The flesh and juice and rind are so commonly used in cooking that aromafruit presents a health danger to people taking certain kinds of medicines. Since the 14th and 15th Volcanic centuries, after certain newly developed drugs were found to produce unexpected and inconsistent side effects, Galtern's medical school discovered a link to the consumption of aromafruit. A few orchards have successfully bred and propagated drug-safe aromafruit varieties, but they haven't yet reached wide distribution. Anyone taking a medicine known to have this reaction must be vigilant that they are not accidentally eating aromafruit in food prepared by someone else.