The ice cream bean is a fast-growing tree that produces strange tropical fruit. The name originates from the fruit's sweetness, with a texture reminiscent of cotton candy.Ice cream bean is a fast-growing tree with many uses, including its exotic fruit! The large fruits contain a sweet, cottony pulp. The edible pulp is where the “ice cream” name comes from, as it has a sweet vanilla taste, sometimes with a cinnamon note, and the texture of cotton candy.
The ice cream bean has many different names in its native region, and indigenous peoples use the tree for a variety of uses. The most common use is to eat the cottony fluff straight from the pod, but it can also be used to sweeten and flavor various foods as well.
Let’s talk more about this fascinating tropical tree and its strange beans filled with sweet fluffy pith. We’ll go over everything you’ll need to grow and care for your own ice cream bean tree!There are hundreds of species of Inga, and as many as 50 produce edible fruits, each with a slightly different size and taste. While some species, like Inga feuillei, Inga spectabilis, and Inga rhynchocalyx are sometimes confused with Inga edulis, these related species have different shapes of pods that they produce.