Tropical Adventures in Aruba: Bushi or Turk’s Cap Cactus 
Today is a beautiful tropical day in Aruba, and to enjoy it at its best, we decided to take a walking tour in the old "aloe vera" field. It was oh-so-green! the trails were filled with an array of different kind of cactus, many of which I have seen before in my travels around the globe, including prickly pears of numerous kinds.
I was in cacti heaven when a friend pointed to me the misterious "Bushi." I would have never imagined such a beautiful creation. The color of the little fruit is fluorescent pink, a color not so common in nature, and it looks like a pepper, the most fiery one.
To tell you the truth, I didn't know what to think of the misterious beauty: would it be edible or just for decorating the Aruban landscape? My mouth was watering already, dreaming about the flavour hiding in the tiny pink packet. Then, my friend the expert told me that it was edible and I should try it. Wasting no time I jumped over lots of aloe vera plants and cactus, and finally reached target. Ate two. Didn't die. Wasn't hallucinogen neither. LOL!
It was too small to discover the flavor. Inside it looked like a prickly pear I have eaten in the Yucatán Peninsula, México: white pulp with tiny black seeds.
I can picture them garnishing a tropical salad or ceviche, they will look marvelous and chic!
Now the facts: The Turk’s cap cactus is ‘Bolcactus’ in Dutch and has 3 names in Papiamento; Milon di seru, Cabes di indjan but most common Bushi (Latin: Melocactus spec.)
It is not clear to which species our ‘Bushi’ belongs. That is not surprising considering the fact that on our islands alone there exist various species which look very much alike. The most common species has about 12 ribs covered with reddish brown species. When flowering the cactus starts to grow a felt-like pillow on top of which appear the small pink flowers. With each succeeding flowering period the pillow grows a bit more and some of the cacti have quite a chimney on their “heads” (The Turks cap). Formerly these plumes were used in tinderboxes. The fruit is pink to pale red and quite edible though without a distinctive taste.
Many people want to have the Bushi in their garden. The Bushi though has a very extensive root system to collect as much water as possible. Therefore, in pulling up the cactus the roots are invariably damaged and it taxes the plant to grow new ones. Because of its water conserving capabilities the cactus will not die immediately but when after a period of two years it finally dries out, it will die off. All those years you have had a dying plant in your garden. Never take Melocactus from the wild; it damages our nature and besides, it is prohibited by law. Biblioteca Nacional Aruba (Source: Our plants and trees / Bart A. de Boer)
A big hug from beautiful Aruba,
Chef Melissa
------ by Chef Melissa
- November 22, 2008
- 4:57 pm
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