or Surinam cherry the fruit of Eugenia uniflora, native to a region extending from C. America to S. Brazil. The shrub, or small tree, bears flowers singly or in groups of up to four, and these produce ribbed fruits up to 4 cm (1.5″) wide, progressing in colour from green to orange to crimson and dark purple when ripe.
A number of cultivars have been developed, yielding delicious fruits with juicy, aromatic flesh. They are eaten out of hand or made into jams and jellies etc. Unripe fruits can be made into chutneys and in Brazil the juice is fermented to produce a vinegar.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
