Street Fruit: Kei Apple

Kei Apples are not common. This tree is growing next to a trash dumpster in Los Angeles.


The plant is native to Africa, and named after the Great Kei River in South Africa, which is probably where Europeans first encountered the fruit. You might find it growing as a garden plant in other mediterranean climates, but I have never seen them for sale in stores, and I have seen them sold at a farmers market only once.

The fruits are small and typically tart, but with an interesting complex flavour which reminds me of swedish cloudberries and ginger. If cooked with a little sugar the complex flavour is nice and palatable.

The interesting thing about Kei fruit is that it is the only cultivated fruit from the South African Cape floristic region, one of the six floristic regions on the planet. All of the other floristic regions on the planet have given us a variety of important fruits and vegetables, but I think the only one from the Cape region is the Kei Apple.