The ancient exotic fruit sees a green egg-shaped exterior conceal a bright yellow fibrous flesh. While the fresh fruit is harvested from October to March in Peru, locally we’ll most likely come across the orb in powder form. The fruit is dehydrated at low temperatures to retain all of its vital nutrients and then milled into a fine powder.

Alike to using cacao and maca powder in recipes, lucuma powder is another natural superfood rich in antioxidants. Lucuma is also high in fibre, vitamins and minerals, and offers the same amount of calcium as cow’s milk. Traditionally it has also been used medicinally, with the superfood source touting antibiotic, antimicrobial and antifungal properties, as well as helping to fight and prevent disease and slow the ageing process. It is an excellent source of healthy carbohydrates, making it a good substitute for grains in a paleo diets, and is gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. A low GI sweetener, the powder can act as a substitute for sugar in recipes – exchanging two tablespoons of lucuma for every one tablespoon of sugar – and possesses a subtly sweet, creamy caramel flavour.

This natural flavour lends well to smoothies, raw cheesecakes and cakes, sating sweet cravings. Lucuma is also the most popular flavour of ice-cream in Peru – try making your own raw adaptation at home. Add the powder to buckwheat pancakes at breakfast or make a coffee cake smoothie. To sample in dessert form, try making a batch of bliss balls, this pumpkin lucuma pie or smear homemade doughnuts with lucuma tahini icing. Pick up a bag by Loving Earth or Navitas from your local grocer or healthfood store.