IngredientsTraditional Food

Capulí Fruit is Beautiful and Tastes Good

A Mountain of Capuli Fruit in Wanchaq Market

A Mountain of Capuli Fruit in Wanchaq Market

After a beautiful dawn, with the wonderful, warm light of each morning, the colors of capulí fruit shine in the markets of our city. These small fruits show a combination of dark purple and intense red. This makes them interesting and calls the attention of people passing by as they make their way by where the cherry-like fruit are sold.

In this month of December we have not yet reached the season for this fruit but the caseras, vendors, are already bringing it to the markets of the city. The first fruits of the trees have arrived. In this way we see that within a short time the capulí season with arrive in its fullness and the fruit will come in great quantities.

Capulí is round and small in size. You can say it is a bit smaller than the aguaymanto fruit, a relative of our ground cherry. Every one of the fruits has diferent flavors. Some are sweet and others a bit bitter. The majority are very sweet and become cloying if you eat too many of them.

Our caseras have an attractive way of selling the capulí. They place what they have brought for sale in a medium sized, white bucket. To the side they have a cute, regular sized, brown basket in which they show their fruit. Before putting the capulí in the baskets they place green leaves from various plants and then on top of those they place a quantity of capulí to make a stunning visual display.

Capuli Season Arrives to Cusco
Capuli Season Arrives to Cusco

From the Sacred Valley, Urubamba, as well as Lucre, capulí come to Cusco. In these beautiful places you can find many capulí trees and people enjoy the fruit there without paying anything.

The season for this fruit really begins in the months of January and lasts through the end of March. During these almost three months capulí abounds throughout the city.

In the markets they tend to sell this fruit in small, transparent bags. One sol will get you a medium sized quantity. Before selling them the caseras wash them well in lots of water.

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