Tiny cubes of tutti fruity add taste, texture and a splash of colour to the desserts, cakes and breads. However, not many know that the tutti fruity can actually increase the shelf life of a food item. It has been more than century since these little cubes of dried fruits, that are cooked in sugar syrup and given attractive colours and smell, have found a major place on our dining tables. These are often referred to as the tiny stars of the culinary world.
Tutti fruity is not just a fancy name given to a colourful food item; it is however born from an Italian word that means ‘all fruits’. These had been mentioned even in some of the English cook books, published around 150 years ago. Some documents state that the tutti fruity was sold in 1888 in the stores in New York. It could be seen in some of the hotel menus of the 1900’s.
In the western countries, sweet fruits like cherries, raisins, pineapples and dates are used to make tutti fruity. They are used in different food items in different countries. In the Netherlands and Belgium, tutti fruity is eaten as a dessert. Meanwhile, the Americans soak them in brandy.
In India, tutti fruity is mostly made using papaya. Unripe papaya is cut into tiny cubes and cooked in sugar syrup to make tutti fruity here. Artificial colours too are added to give it their iconic colours. They are added in cakes, ice creams, bread and falooda for taste and smell. Tutti fruity is a common topping that is added in desserts. Interestingly, tutti fruity has the nutritional benefits of dried fruits.
Check out how you could make tutti fruity easily at home:
Ingredients
Papaya (not raw or too ripe)
Vanilla essence
Good quality food colours
Sugar
Preparation
Wash the papaya and score them not too deep to ooze out the milk
Peel the skin and remove the seeds
Cut it into small pieces and wash them well
Now cut these into really tiny cubes
Pop these papaya cubes into boiling water
Allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes
Turn off the flame and keep it aside for 5 minutes with the lid on
Drain it. However, do not throw away the water
Add sugar in this water and boil to make the syrup
Add the papaya cubes into it
Boil it until the cubes absorb the sugar well
Now add 2-3 drops vanilla essence
Mix the food colours in different bowls
Divide the papaya cubes among these bowls
Mix well
Keep it aside for at least 10 hours
Transfer these into a sieve first and then spread on a cotton cloth to absorb the excess moisture
Allow the coloured tutti fruity to dry well until they do not stick to each other
Store in air tight glass containers.
