Ice Cream Bean W3

Ice Cream bean is botanically classified as Inga edulis, and a member of the Fabaceae family, the same as green beans, shelling beans and peanuts. The genus, Inga, is derived from its name with the Tupi Indians of South America and the species, edulis, means edible. It is not hard to imagine why the name Ice Cream bean was given to this sweet tropical fruit. The cotton candy-like edible pulp of the tree’s pods is unusually similar to that of vanilla ice cream. Not only are the beans a sweet treat, but the tree also improves soil fertility, provides lumber for construction as well as shade for other undercrops. The tree has a host of aliases in many South American native languages, including, guaba, inga cipo, guamo bejuro, pois sucre, rabo de mico, inga de metro and monkey tail.