Full List of Fruits Kutjera fruit
Introduction of Kutjera fruitNutritional Value of Kutjera fruitKutjera fruit UsesCultivation of Kutjera fruit
Kutjera fruit
Scientific name - Solanum centrale
Indigenous to the more torrefeid parts of Australia, Kutjera or Australian desert raisin with a scientific name of (Solanum centrale) has been used as a food source for millennia by Central Australian Aboriginal groups. The inclusion of two significant factors makes them popular for use in condiments and sauces. It is the strong and overpowering taste of tamarillo and caramel. After drought years, it has the capability to grow being quiescent as root stock. Featuring dry raisins, the fruits are 1–3 cm in diameter, when fully ripe they are yellow in color. This fast-growing shrub fruits fast the year subsequent to good rains.
Nutritional Value of Kutjera fruit
| Energy | 384kJ / 100gm |
| Protein | 1.6 gm / 100 gm |
| Fat | 0.6 gm / 100 gm |
| Carbohydrates | 21.0 gm / 100 gm |
| Fibre | 3.2 gm / 100 gm |
| Na | 4.66 µg |
| K | 2251 µg |
| Mg | 160.3 µg |
| Ca | 117.1µg |
| Fe | 26.5 µg |
| Zn | 1.850µg |
Instead of using it in the same form, grinding Kutjera is one of the easiest forms to cook with. Usage of this fruit gives out a distinct caramel/raisin flavor with a spicy and strong aftertaste. It is this factor that makes the fruit ideal for use as a crust on meat. When chopped into curries and salsas, they give out a great taste. They are used in salads and are highly helpful in dressing or bedding of any meat items.
During the late autumn and early winter, the dried up fruits are collected from the small bushes. It is good to keep full moist until germination. Rich in vitamin C, before the germination, this plant will require smoke treatment and it is nothing, but the simple process of covering the sown seed with smoked vermiculite and watering in. They are a rich source of minerals, especially potassium. After soil disturbance, the plant grows rapidly. Having a preference over loam/gravel soil, they are fast growing and hardy. It has high tolerant capacity towards dry conditions and likes full sun. Send up suckers over time, often the main plant will die back and the new shoots will pop up a short distance away. In the deserts of Central Australia, they are grown commercially these days by Aboriginal communities.
