Tungi Spirit
Encyclopedia
Tungi Spirit is the name given to a distilled product made in Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...

 from the fruit of the prickly or cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica
Opuntia ficus-indica
Opuntia ficus-indica is a species of cactus that has long been a domesticated crop plant important in agricultural economies throughout arid and semiarid parts of the world. It is thought to possibly be native to Mexico...

).

Usage

Three principal varieties of tungi grow on Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...

, but only two are used in the production of Tungi spirit. These are both examples of the largest fruit grown - the 'English' (or yellow) fruit and the 'Madeira' (or large red) fruit. These are cultivars of Opuntia ficus indica. The small 'Spiny Red' tungi fruits (O. elatior) are not normally used for distillation
Distillation
Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....

, despite remaining in season for almost 8 months of the year. By comparison with the large varieties, their juice content is low.

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