CARISSA MACROCARPA / NUM NUM / AMATUNGULU FRUIT - 30 SEEDS

The num num is a spiky-stemmed, glossy leaf shrub with fragrant white star-shaped flowers  and sweet tasting red fruit and is native to the coastal regions of the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The Carissa macrocarpa, is also called the Natal plum, big num-num,  or amatungulu (Zulu) 

Num nums were introduced to America in the 1880s where it is still a popular ornamental plant in California and Florida. It was later introduced to other countries such as Israel, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and India.

Num num fruit is oval and can range in size from 1,5 to 5 cm depending on the variety. Its fleshy fruit ripens to red.  Num num fruit is rich in vitamin C, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and phosphorus (P) and high in pectin which will help to set low-pectin jams like strawberry. The soft seeds are edible and need not to be discarded. The plants leaves are popular with kudus while monkeys and certain birds enjoy the fruit.

Traditional uses of the num num include eating the fresh fruit, but also for the preparation of jams and jellies. The roots are used to treat toothache while the Swazi people uses the num num in a traditional ceremony in which it is fed to a bull to increase its aggression before it is killed by Swazi warriors.

Modern uses are mostly culinary. Num nums are delicious when combined with baked quince or pear, it adds a tartness to chutneys and onion marmalades and can be cooked and dried slightly before being baked into muffins.