Origin of Peru
Goldenberries are also called cape gooseberry or agauaymanto berry. Locally called mullaca, uvilla, uchuva, the plant is an annual herb indigenous to many parts of the tropics, including the Amazon rainforest. It can be found on most continents in the tropics, including Africa, Asia, and the Americas. It grows up to one meter high, bears small, cream-colored flowers, and produces small, light yellowish-orange, edible fruit. The leaves of the plant have many ethnobotanical uses around the world. The goldenberry is one of the first plants to pioneer degraded areas. Its robustness and adaptability could lead to cultivation in many now unused marginal areas.
The fruit is found in markets from Venezuela to Chile, and the plants have been grown on limited scale around the world in warm climates. Goldenberries are succulent golden fruits the size of marbles. They are protected by papery husks resembling Chinese lanterns. Currently in areas where they are grown they are largely regarded as backyard fruits for children, but upscale European markets pay premium prices for them, dipping them in chocolate to decorate pastries. They make excellent jams, which are popular in India and Africa.
Dried, they make a delicious, tart, and highly nutritious and exotic "raisin." They are high in phosphorous, vitamins A, C, B1, B2, B6, and B12. They are also extremely high in protein (16%) for a fruit. Goldenberries are considered a good source of vitamin P (bioflavonoid) and are rich in pectin.
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