It’s been a long time since I’ve had gri gri but I got some the other day. Took me straight to my boyhood days; I would eat the thin outer flesh of the gri gri and save the nut for later. Then when I had some spare time I would crack it with my teeth or take a small stone and gently crack the thin shell to reveal the kernel ( like in the picture below) I could remember sometimes at school we used to use the nut to play “pitch”* since it was the size of a marble. It was perfect for playing “three hole”**. Those were some school days!
Gri Gri So Much Like Coconut
The sweet kernel is a joy to partake in; it tastes close to that of coconut but the texture is not as soft. But that’s not a problem because you’re so busy chewing and enjoying the sweet “milk” from the kernel that you don’t have time to bother about texture. 🙂
The Gri Gri Plant
So what really is gri gri you may ask even though you are seeing pictures. Actually this fruit comes from a very tall and thorny palm tree and is a family to pee wah, and another we call gru gru bef which is just as spiky I might add.
To harvest gri gri, climbing is out of the question; you have to get a very long rod to get at it and even that is a chore because these gri gri palm trees grow to some forty feet. Probably that is why these fruits fetch a high price in the market if and when you see them. Harvesting it is very labour intensive. Then too, unless you have gri gri growing in your backyard, you have to go into the forest for it. Oh! There goes the price again! 🙂
Anyhow, I really savoured these few gri gri I got and of course, like long time, I saved the nuts to crack later ! See you soon. Ah gone!
Pitch – Trini creole term to describe any marble game e.g we goin’ an’ play pitch Three Hole – Marble game with three holes dug in succession but spaced out by an agreed distance from the starting/ finishing line. The holes were named 1st hole, 2nd hole and 3rd hole from the starting/finishing line. The object of the game was to pitch your marble into the holes in succession (3,2,1,2,3,2,1) and end at the starting/finishing line first.
Stakes were high at times where we played pitch (marbles) for bokee. Ouch!
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Felix, I have not visited your blog in a while due to being busy with work etc and what great treats I have missed. You have opened me to a world of news fruits. I find your way of making fried chicken very interesting. I am also work on a fish post. And most rewarding has been learning that I can make tea with the leaves of the soursop tree! Can’t wait to give it a try.
Keep the flag flying high my friend. Your food is so honest!
That’s such a cool story. My aunties used to play marbles at school, too. That’s probably where my mother lost all of hers. 😉
Gri gri completely inflames my curiosity, and I must try some, but I have no idea where I’d ever find it!
I got gri gri this morning from a vendor on the EMR St Augustine. It was the first time in a few years I have had it. It was quite tasty.
Cynthia I always look forward to your comments and thank you so much for stopping by. You may not know it but you are an inspiration. As always I try to keep the posts educational and entertaining for all. Thank you again 🙂
Curiousdomestic I’m sure that’s where she lost all of her marbles. I remember we used to play marbles for takes too. As for the gri gri you will have to do some traveling and come to Trinidad 🙂
Lawdy loh it has been many many moons ago since I ate this palm. I used to play pitch with my brother and his friends. We would sometimes play for keeps, when I lost all my marbles I would bawl the neighbourhood down until my brother gave me back my marbles. He would then promise never to play with me again until the next time LOL.
I saw gru gru bef being sold on the roadside by Price Plaza Chaguanas yesterday September 2018.
thanks for the amazing article . i hope you share more articles like this .