With the season for mango slowly coming to its end in Solomon Islands, another local fruit season is here, looks like an apple but tastes nothing like an apple. Solomon Islanders call this rather delicious fruit 'Kabarai.'
The taste, some say, is a cross between an apple and an orange. Solomon Islanders like to say that it is far more delicious than apples, whether they have tasted apple before is a non issue to most.Joy Neala, a form five student at Bishop Epalle, said that her grandparents used to always tell her that the 'Kabarai' is good for ones sight. "That's hard to prove though, but my grandparents, who enjoy eating the fruit, are still reading without glasses."
An elderly mother, Mrs. Shirley Williams, says that with the 'Kabarai' season she will now be able to make her favorite pie, the 'Kabarai' plum. "I enjoy using the local apple when I make my apple pie because of its rare and different taste," she said. "People who buy my pies often can't tell the difference...when I tell them it is often a pleasant surprise."
In and around town it would be common sight to see young children up on the 'Kabarai' tree after school. Who would blame these kids for having such craving and wanting to satisfy their taste buds with the delicious local apple fruit? They may grow up not needing reading glasses, an added bonus.