So it’s agbalumo season still (thank goodness), though it will soon end. Agbalumo is the Yoruba name for the African Star Fruit, African Star Apple, African Cherry known biologically as chrysophyllum_albidum. It also known as Udara (in Efik/Ibibio), Udala (Ibo) and Agwaluma (in Hausa) among many of its names. I live in Lagos so Agblumo is what we’ll stick with. Thanks to research and inquisitive minds there is quite a bit of information and surfacing about the benefits of this fruit, such as its high vitamin C content exceeding that of oranges, high antioxidant content helping to fight free radicals and low calorie content.
I’ve been looking for various ways to use this fruit in plant-based cooking. It’s mostly enjoyed just eaten raw as a fruit and can be rather sticky. That’s the fun of eating it! I’ve seen it being juiced or marinated and used in cocktails, used to make ice creams, sorbets, jams and syrups, but I wanted to find some other way to explore this ingredient. So here you have it, taking the jam route, I decided on an agbalumo crumble bar. A sweet snack that can be devoured alone, or paired with a floral based vanilla cream or ice cream for dessert.