The Incredibly Strange LITTLE CHICKEN FRUIT (Cuayote) - Weird Fruit Explorer

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Episode 664: Cuayote
Species: Gonolobus edulis
Location: San Jose, Costa Rica
Special thanks to Marco for sharing this with me.
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[@WeirdExplorer]

How would you make use of this fruit's texture?

[@belg4mit]

Might be interesting in an apple pie

[@-PRPLEHZE-]

That seed was one of the coolest things I have seen in a while, i had thought seeds that required such dispersal would be on the outside, it was so fascinating when you opened the fruit and it fell away like that. Makes me wonder if the fruit is destroyed by something in the wild to have created a dispersal reliant upon the seed being exposed.

[@GringatTheRepugnant]

@@-PRPLEHZE- Related species like Cryptostegia have fruits that dry out and split open to spread the seeds, so I'm guessing the cuayote does too when the fruit ripens or at least did in the past. Cultivation by humans could lead to a fleshier fruit that's better for us but means the seeds can't disperse without us planting them.

[@FunkyFyreMunky]

It seems like flavour-infusions are the way to go. Make different flavour profiles and use the fruit as a carrier for tossing into salads, or additions at the plating-up of a dish.

[@mirandamom1346]

I wonder how it would go if you boiled it in broth and then used it in a pot pie- kind of like a cross between celery and chicken..?

[@jrcorsey]

The awkward knife handling has become part of your charm, as well as adding a frisson of danger. When you give up and pull the fruits apart with your fingers, it feels like you're struggling with the whole idea of tool use. It makes me feel like I'm routing for an underdog.

[@anne-droid7739]

My thoughts exactly! =D

[@sussybawka9999]

Grug no like use sharp rock

[@anne-droid7739]

@@sussybawka9999 I think Grug would be just fine with use sharp rock; however, Grug, like everyone else, no like use really bad B&B knives, and Grug maybe too underfunded as of yet to hunt and gather good knives for his own cave in NYC.

[@WeirdExplorer]

@@anne-droid7739 Grug have Global Chef Rocks in NYC cave. But Grug too busy to sharpen them. Grug sad.

[@anne-droid7739]

@@WeirdExplorer Grug have mate dragged back to cave by hair, have Grug not? In pre-Grug times, when this old lady was young, mate dragged back to cave by hair could be made to sharpen rocks. But this old lady be very glad Grug not make mate sharpen rocks! Good for Grug!

[@norffc6557]

These videos are unerringly some of the most valuable gems of content on KZbin. You open a window to a world of botanical peculiarities that are seldom documented anywhere else. Thank you!

[@sphinxtheeminx]

Despite your terrifying knife skills I love your videos. I am so glad you are doing this so I don't have to - I'm British and bananas are considered exotic here. Love your channel and your subject.

[@PapaCharlie9]

I thought I was the only one that winces every time Jared cuts something with a big knife. I keep expecting fingers to go flying.

[@scenenuf]

Don't worry he literally use to eat swords while contorting.

[@lolcatz88]

@@scenenuf well technically he still does…

[@seanhuntington5491]

When you opened it, it reminded me of a giant milkweed pod (which are edible), turns out they're in the same family! You should try milkweed pods and compare

[@sojoboscribe1342]

Exactly what I was going to say! Wonder if it's a host plant (I checked, and both Monarch and Queen Butterflies live in Costa Rica).

[@twilightraven1232]

I was thinking the same thing!

[@crystaledwards9878]

Exactly my thought.

[@darkjanic6668]

They are the same family as willughbeias which is also quite rare to find and most species of willughbeias can be found in parts of Southeast Asia

[@Just1Nora]

Same! I was like, that's totally milkweed fluff.

[@sou1daddy503]

Those seeds look like milkweed (Asclepias incarnata, pretty common in northeastern US). I wonder if they're related. Googlin' time! Edit: Yup! Milkweed is in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae.

[@azael1474]

not only in the same family but the same group, Asclepiadeae. Some milkweed pods may also be eaten when small and immature. However other typical apocynaceae like Oleander or Plumeria have totally different flowers and fruits and most are extremely poisonous.

[@jwfisher4658]

Kinda what I was thinking too!

[@erikjohnson9223]

Asclepias syriaca is edible if prepared correctly and the parts eaten are young. Asclepias incarnata (FYI), is probably a better larval host for Monarchs because it is much more toxic (to us, not to milkweed butterflies, which sequester the toxins to make their bird and lizard predators very, very sick) and therefore should *never* be eaten by people. It is heart poison.

[@ShotgunLlama]

The way you describe the texture reminds me of wintergreen berries. Don't know if they're actually similar, but they're like little styrofoam fruits

[@mariakasstan]

Dogbane is a relative of milkweed in Canada, I think. Young milkweed pods can be eatern if cooked in several changes of water and if you see it growing, you can't miss the resemblance.

[@pattheplanter]

If you get the non-bitter variety of common milkweed ( _Asclepias syriaca_ ) then you don't need any changes of water. The flowerbuds are even better.

[@ericsafran6108]

Milkweed is also in the Dogbane family Apocynaceae. It is actually edible and tasty in most stages of its life.

[@erikjohnson9223]

Only SOME milkweeds are edible. Asclepias syriaca in the East, and I believe A. speciosa west of the Mississippi River, are low toxicity and can be eaten. Many other species are very toxic (cardiac glycosides). Monarch caterpillars eat these plants to make themselves toxic to birds.

[@JTMusicbox]

So interesting that it stays both fluffy and crisp through cooking.

[@astrielmaahes1116]

Everything about this reminds me of milkweed pods, just much large and the pod very thick.

[@OlWolf1011]

Inside seed-core reminds me of milkweed when you crack the pod open before it’s ripe enough to split and toss seeds.

[@shedrow4265]

Reminds me of a giant milkweed pod.

[@allen3784]

That’s because milkweed is also in the dogbane family and you can eat the seed pods as well but you’re suppose to boil them.

[@Chris_Garman]

The sounds it made when cutting it open may lend to its name, lol. I thought you were adding chicken sound effects at first.

[@TheRockInnRobin]

This really sounded like you were cutting through a damp nerf football lol

[@Just1Nora]

If I was going to prepare this I'd probably quickly blanch it whole to help with skin removal. I know the point was to also show the raw insides of the fruit so you didn't want to do that, but just an FYI if you have a fruit with a very firm skin that you want to quickly remove, a quick blanch in boiling water will make the skin come off easily. This works well with pomegranates too and doesn't damage the pips.

[@bidzoutheking]

Huh. The shape, seeds and latex reminded me of wilkweed (asclepias genus), and sure enough, dogbane is in the same family ( Apocynaceae). You can eat milkweed pods when they are unripe, but they neef to be boiled and the water discarded too. I personally pickle them and they are yummy... reminds me of asparagus and brocolli.

[@johnstamos4629]

"Little hen thats had its head cut off" LOL! I didnt see that until you said it. XD!

[@WarlamSotoFlores]

Hiiii, I'm from Costa Rica that fruit grows in our gardens but like a weed.... I always thought it was poisonous. Love it when is dry and gets open... To disperse the seeds.

[@trex70]

I think it is related to Chayota Edulis, and i couldnt find a Wikipedia Page for it.

[@WeirdExplorer]

Nope! The name and appearance is similar, but they are not related to each other.

[@trex70]

@@WeirdExplorer ok, thank you

[@rajgill7576]

I think you held it EXACTLY upside down when trying to view it as a hen 😄 And that seed be looking like a pangolin

[@youtube.commentator]

Thanks Jared

[@WeirdExplorer]

you are welcome

[@owa8609]

It also could be called "little hen" because when you took out the insides it kind of looks like you are defeathering a chicken. It almost reminds me of a giant milk weed pod, which are poisonous, but edible when cooked.

[@chr0mosomeso0p98]

Hey man I’ve watched your vids for a while it’s crazy how long it’s been I’m getting older now but yea I like fruit bro

[@747tbar]

Wonder if it's used like or even related to chayote (Militon Squash). Different seed type but similar in use. No matter what you cook it with, it takes in the spices and flavors of the dish, almost like a filler to help make the meal feed more without compromising the flavors of the dish because it in itself has no real discerning flavor...

[@slarbiter]

I think adding salt and chilies to the sugar would be pretty great

[@Kikilang60]

Thanks. Some people think the world is small, and getting smaller. Nope. The world is a big place, and no one person can see it all.

[@riverbender9898]

Reminds me of common milkweed, save for the shell.

[@purdoy25]

That kind of reminds me of 'kondol' (wax gourd)

[@wamlartmuse2983]

Crispy & fluffy, like honey soaked bread?

[@ande100]

Looks more like a stylized pigeon.

[@Captain_Sosuke_Aizen]

Instead of cinnamon try putting cardamom ,or if possible saffron in sugar syrup.

[@gearsmoke]

Have/would you try common milkweed pods to compare?

[@fel2play]

seem pretty healthy with all of the fiber, must be very versatile ingredient for dishes

[@dancinggoat22]

It really looks like milkweed pods!

[@briandaum1639]

Looks like a giant milkweed pod! Im guessing they are related

[@pattheplanter]

Yup!

[@yesterdaydream]

I think the white end is its head.

[@luke144]

Watch that pinky when you're cutting your fruit bro. You need that thing for drinking tea!!

[@annalisette5897]

I have a crate full of styrofoam packing peanuts. Now I know what to do with them.... Finally, styrofoam can be recycled! LOL! ;-)

[@connormclaughlin6955]

Looks like the rind. Interesting fruit. Would love to see how the seeds disperse.

[@erikjohnson9223]

It does the same thing as milkweeds: the pods dry (and eventually split). The insides become fluff ("coma") attached to each seed, and blow around on the wind after the pods split. If you are in North America, you can probably find milkweeds doing that.

[@telegramsam]

Ran across a vine in my yard that had a fruit pod type thing with seeds in it like that only much much smaller (maybe an inch and a half in length?) and more dry rather than with fruit pulp. Had no idea what it was but I guess it's something else in the dogbane family. I remember pulling the pod open and seeds like that were in the center very similarly. (After wikipedia diving... maybe Gonolobus suberosus?)

[@getoveryourself2212]

looks like chayote.. a hispanic veggie at Northgate usually it's for soups usually

[@mandab.3180]

this sounds pretty yummy ngl

[@dontwantthis]

Looks like a oversized milkweed pod

[@TheKopakah]

12:57 J mac?

[@TuppyMSM]

Hey there Jared! Trying to comment very early too see if you will see my request! Could you possibly try more rare papayas? (like the mexican mountain papaya)

[@WeirdExplorer]

I had this mountain papaya.. is this the one you mean? kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZycZXmDiKt_p5o

[@technosaurus3805]

Sounds like a good gluten free replacement for croutons in French onion soup.

[@tinkertailor7385]

Aaarrrhhhhggg..... I was just waiting for that knife to go right into your hand. Cut down on things. That is what the cutting board is for.... It works better than your palm.

[@luke144]

Add a tiny bit of apple cider vinegar in it next time. It brings out the flavor!

[@11regnartseht]

Careful with that knife Eugene Edit: Isn't that more of a pod than a fruit?

[@sandstorm6605]

Nutritionally, what do you get out of the fruit? I’m guessing maybe some carbs. Anything else noteworthy?

[@rogana5158able]

Looks like you're trying to eat foam from your sofa 😜

[@toddburgess5056]

Looks and sounds like you're cutting through an old rubber boot LOL 👢🥾

[@emilypalmer1244]

it needs conservation

[@deoxyplasmic]

I can see why it would be a hen fruit. It kind of looks like a hen, it has "feathers" on the inside, and when you first cut into it, it sounded kind of like a chicken!

[@disastresskettle579]

looks like a giant milkweed pod to me...

[@magicphred]

Sounds like a pear to me

[@dracofangxxx]

makes me think of cheeto puffs but not cronchy enough to hurt my gums lol

[@GringatTheRepugnant]

so not only is it shaped like a plucked chicken with wings at the back, but it sounds like one when you cut it and it's full of feathers!

[@WeirdExplorer]

its a headless inside out chicken!

[@shannabolser9428]

@@WeirdExplorer oh no, you don't eat meat! 😉

[@nicholas755]

Hahahaha I was reading this comment when I heard the squawk

[@-PRPLEHZE-]

It honestly never ceases to amaze me just how much of usability you get out of a fruit, I love your videos for that, kind of reminds me to think in more resourceful terms. Thanks!

[@paulus.tarsensus]

This plant is a tropical milkweed and fruit is an edible milkweed seed pod. The fruit weighs very little; it wants to dry out and release its cotton parachutes once seeds ripen. Growing, it looks very much like honeyvine milkweed ( Cynanchum laeve ) growing on chain link fencing. We used to harvest the dried pods for Xmas ornaments.

[@PhosphorAlchemist]

I was thinking that the seed shape and arrangement looks very similar to local milkweed pods I've seen in the US but with a spongy layer of fruit inside the shell. Supposedly some of these north American pods are also edible if harvested at the right stage and prepared correctly, but my poor innards freak out easily and I'm not brave enough just yet to try it.

[@paulus.tarsensus]

@@PhosphorAlchemist

[@paulus.tarsensus]

Some milkweeds are edible when young plants, as you can parboil and eat the shoots like asparagus and the tender leaves make good pot-herbs. The flower cluster balls ( that smell like lilac, btw ) are also good to eat. Other species of milkweed are quite deadly ( e.g. dogbanes ). Older leaves and stems shouldn't be eaten because the latex sap becomes toxic and milkweeds should only be eaten cooked anyway. Supposedly, you can also cook and eat younger milkweed seed pods, but from what Jared has shown us here, ¿ why bother ? Way too much work, I think, lol.

[@better.better]

I mean it's in Apocynaceae, of which milkweeds (Asclepias) are also a family, but it's in family Gonolobus, not the Asclepias. however you are correct in that this is basically a giant milkweed pod

[@paulus.tarsensus]

@@better.better Gonolobus, like Cynanchum and Asclepias, are all genera of milkweeds in the family Apocynaceae.

[@DeathMetalDerf]

That's absolutely wild, and brand spankin' new to me! I've never even heard of a dogbane or the cuayote before now! Thanks for another great video! I hope everyone is well and having a great day!

[@zeideerskine3462]

This looks like a cross between a dandelion and an avocado.

[@NattybyNature]

Interestingly this fruit is used to dial chocolate drinks in southern Vera Cruz, Mexico but only in a few villages around Xalapa

[@apoc4]

This is neat. Thanks for trying out neat fruit that I did not know existed.

[@OglenStillafano]

It reminds me a lot of a chonky milkweed pod. Whose seeds are also spread via wind. Very strange fruit you got there.

[@jessev2197]

Looks like a large milkweed pod. You can cook milkweed pods too when they are picked small. Like Okra.

[@Xebelan]

I would love to try making waldmeister candies with this-- i think the cushiony crisp texture would pair well with the vanilla-but-sexier flavor of the sweet woodruff.

[@FAMUCHOLLY]

I always find your taste in music as interesting as your taste in fruit. Thanks for the videos!

[@jonathanadam1029]

It would be interesting to see the results of the small chunks being put into a dehydrator after being cooked with the sugar and spices.

[@MeliponiculturaenCostaRica]

Great idea, just like crystalized chiverre Cucurbita ficifolia

[@durtwizzerd4432]

Its very much like a giant milkweed pod. Even the seeds are arranged the same way. Makes sense. Both are in the dogbane family. if you havent tried milkweed pods yet, you really should.

[@StonedtotheBones13]

Marco and his mother are absolute gems. Idk if Marco sees these, but he (and Marco's mother) are mvp

[@MeliponiculturaenCostaRica]

I do

[@BuenavistaNZ]

@@MeliponiculturaenCostaRica show us some of your fruit trees 👍

[@JP-lw4ci]

@Meliponicultura en Costa Rica bro you're awesome thanks for putting yourself out there to teach us!

[@MeliponiculturaenCostaRica]

@@JP-lw4ci Thanks!

[@realblakrawb]

Re air bnb knives. If you can't pack your own knife, pack a little quick sharpener to make your life easier.

[@shannabolser9428]

That is a great idea for the next time I travel. Thanks

[@stephsexoticpets]

wow how cool! the seed looks like the inside of a milkweed pod. I loved the texture and seeing you pull it apart was very satisfying. thanks!

[@Danny.._]

the name little hen does not actually come from the appearance of the fruit, but from the appearance of the seeds inside - the overlapping seeds are said to look like the overlapping feathers of a mother hen

[@alecity4877]

I'm amazed at how much the inside reminds me of mohogany fruit even when the genus isn't even close.

[@nozrep]

i did not at first notice the “chirpee” sound when he cut it like others pointed out but yah, it makes sense! And also, from a “modern perspective” per se, the chirp sound is like the chirp when rubbing bits of rubber together, or rubber soled shoes on a gym floor, typical latex or rubber things and the fruit as he says has natural latex in it. But again yah I can see how people hundreds of years ago would have named it that for its chirp sound when cutting it or looking at it.

[@canaanval]

The peeled and chopped fruit looks a lot like the inside of a couch cushion after a cat or dog has decided to tear it up🤣

[@smellycat249]

That thing looks like a giant milkweed seed pod, inside and out.

[@WeirdExplorer]

Its in the same family!

[@azael1474]

same family and same tribe, Asclepiadeae. Some milkweeds may also be eaten when small and immature, kinda like okra

[@wumbojet]

From what my family has told me, "gallinita" refers more to the seed than the fruit, the feathers and scales kind of resemble chicken skin and feathers. You can also eat the seed raw for a very very mild but refreshing flavor. It really is not common at all, more of a traditional rural dish from times when people didn't have much money and made the most of what they had in hand.

[@mleshoestar777]

Amazing! I would try to fry or bake it. Maybe rosemary & garlic, kinda like a potato. I wonder how it would react with oil or fat, would it be like shrimp chips or pork rinds in texture? What a wonderfully curious fruit :)

[@mrnobody043]

I think you could use this fruit as a "filler" ingredient. Like if you were to make an apple pie, you could add bits of this fruit to the apples when they are cooked. The flavours from the sweet apples and sugar will transfer into this fruit too. I think you would hardly notice the added Cuayote fruit on the finished product. So, if you happen to live in that country and have one of these trees, i think they might use it for that purpose if the taste is basically flavourless, as a filler ingredient.

[@Hortifox_the_gardener]

I know you swallow swords for a living but when you used that way too large and obviously blunt knife on a hard and meanwhile sticky fruit in a weird angle and stabbing towards yourself I swear I was scared you'll hurt yourself 🙈

[@fireboyandy]

Seed and fruit looks the same as one from a milkweed. Just much larger.

[@sharoncox1734]

The cutting noises even sounded like a chicken clucking gently 🐔

[@TianSimber1]

Dang that knife handling skill is terifyng mme 😂😂

[@kjokjojessica]

Thanks for mentioning the latex in it. It's very helpful for me and my mother because of our allergy.

[@__w__o__w__]

Marco should make YT vids about his gardening and bees and foraging. That'd be really cool

[@MeliponiculturaenCostaRica]

I should!

[@ShellyS2060]

The sound on this episode was beautiful. When you cut into it it sounded like a chicken. A totally new fruit to me.

[@WeirdExplorer]

maybe thats why its called little chicken, it chirps when you cut into it 🤔

[@00squigzilla]

@@WeirdExplorer when I saw the seed I wondered if the name came from the little seeds that are layered on top of one another kind of like feathers.

[@Tefoe]

This is odd... it really resembles morinia oderata(sp?) A vineing plant. the seeds are similar & the overall look...

[@erikjohnson9223]

Yep. Both are vining milkweeds. Morrenia odorata.

[@barrett5195]

Your cooking videos always help me calm down.

[@nytrodioxide]

What if it were deep fried?

[@tracycoyne2920]

It looks like a giant milkweed seed pod.

[@ChimpChumpable]

When I look at this fruit, I see the chicken shape the opposite way around. Maybe they also call it "little chicken" because of the feathery parts inside the seed.

[@MermaidMakes]

Excuse me Jared, as a fellow northeasterner and plant lover I am disappointed in you, tsk tsk!! When you say it looks like dandelion the whole time I was yelling "milkweed, it looks like MILKWEED!!!" at the TV. So I did some digging and learned that milkweed is indeed in the dogbane family. Apocynaceae. I'm kidding though I'm not disappointed in you, you're great. Pretty cool though, huh?

[@GolosinasArgentinas]

Amazing fruit!

[@Seattlesilver]

How often do you accidentally cut yourself? I love your videos but your knife skills have always scared me

[@AksTube]

Looks like Calotropis gigantea

[@MephistoRolling]

Looks like the texture of Coconut kernel. The spongey part that grows inside the nut when it shoots.

[@leojosepila3005]

I get it why they call it little chicken, it makes a chicken-like sound when yung cut it open :)