Xihenge xa xivumbeko xa mu-pine (Ananas cosmosus) i muhandzu wa tropical wa laha Afrika Dzonga naswona wu byariwa eka tindzhawu ta tropical emisaveni hinkwayo. Muhandzu lowu i xirho xa ndyangu wa Bromeliaceae, lowu ekaya ka wona kunga eka tindzhawu ta tropical ta Amerika. Lexi ximilani xile ka ndyangu lowu anameke swinene laha kungana kwalomu ka kutlula 3470 wa tinxaka nxaka naswona i swimilani leswingana ndhuma enghadini.
Xihenge axi tsakeriwa ngopfu nale ka mindzhavuko yak hale swinene ya ma Amerika laha axi tirhisiwa tani hi muhandzu wa furexe, wutirhiseriwa murhi naswona fibre yale matlukeni ayi tirhisiwa eka swa vumaki.
Vurimi Bya Xihenge
Xihenge lexi fuweke hi Vitamin C, i muhandzu lowu vonakaka onge wuna ti berries letintsongo letinga tlimbana endzhawini yin’we, xihumelerisiwa tani hi muhandzu wun’we lowu humaka exikarhi ka matluka lawa ya songaneke kusuka eka tshindi robumbula. Swimilani leswi switsakela ndzhawu leyi kufumelaka, yitsakama naswona yingari na maxelo ya gwitsi naswona xikula kahle eka misava ya sandy, leyi hikantsongo yingana acid.
Swihenge swi tshoveriwa ka mbirhi endzhaku ka ntlhanu wa malelmbe yan’wana na yan’wana. Ntshovelo wosungula wuvakona exikarhi ka tinhweti ta 26 kuya eka 30 kutani wa vumbirhi wuva endzhaku ka 18 wa tinhweti leti landzelaka. Mabyalelo ya swihenge ya endliwa hindlela leyi tiyisisaka leswaku swihenge swita tshoveriwa masiku hinkwawo eka lembe rero. Ntshovelo wa swihenge e Afrika Dzonga swisungula hi March kutani swiya emahlweni kukonza kuyava exikarhi ka December.
Kuna tinxaka nkulu timbirhi ta swihenge leti byaleriwaka ku xavisiwa e Afrika Dzonga, kuna muxaka wa tluka rorhetela ra Cayenne (xibyariwa ngopfu e Eastern Cape) kutani kuva na xa matluka ya mimitwa xa-Queen (xihumelerisiwa ngopfu e KwaZulu-Natal).
Muxaka wa Queen wa nyanganya naswona wutala ku xavisiwa wutetano, loko muxaka wa Cayenne lowunga wukulu swinene wutlhela wuva na juzi yotala wu lulamele vuhumelerisi bya juzi na switirhisiwa swa xihenge swale xikoteleni.
Matimu Ya Vuhumelerisi Bya Xihenge
Mabula ndlela Christopher Columbus u tumbuluxe rosungula xihenge hi lembe ra 1493 endzhawini ya Guadalupe e Lesser Antilles eka Caribbean Sea.
Xikan’we na vamabula ndlela va ma Portuguese kuta haleno Afrika Dzonga na Central America, muhandzu wu hangalake kuya evuhuma dyambu bya Saint Helena Island, kuya e Madagascar nale India hi malembe yava 1540s. Ku rimiwa ka muhandzu lowu swivikiwile e Nepal hi lembe ra 1601, Singapore hi 1637, nale Taiwan hi 1650.
Ku hatla kurimiwa ka xihenge aswinga langutangi eka muhandzu wotsakama ntsena kambe nale ka fibre na switirhisiwa swin’wani. Hiva 1570s, va Philippines ava endla lapi ra pina kusuka eka fibre ya matluka ya xihenge, vale Malaysian ava xitirhisa kusivela mbeleko kasi switsutsu swa ma European ava byala swimilani leswi eka swirhapa leswi kokaka rinoko, kukatsa na King Louis XV eka greenhouse yayena e Versailles.
Kurimeriwa ku xavisiwa ka swihenge swisungule hi muxaka wa Cayenne e West Indies nale Hawaii. Xihenge lexi xithyiwe endzhaku ka Cayenne, ntsindza wa French Guiana laha ntlhanu wa swimilani swinga simuriwa kona kutani swibyariwa. Kuta fikela eka 20th century, muxaka wa ‘Smooth Cayenne’ awu tele swinene laha ku xavisiwaka swihenge kufikela loko muxaka wa xihenge wa MD-2 wutava wu teke xivandla tani hi muxaka lowu awu xavisiwa ngopfu wa xihenge xotsakama.
Hikokwalaho ka leswi xihenge xinga tshameki ngopfu endzhaku ka ntshovelo, mafambiselo ya nxaviso, tindlela tokoma to xavisa xikan’we na tindlela tin’wana ta nhlayiso tivuye ti tumbuluxiwa xikan’we na vuhumelerisi byo xavisa bya muhandzu lowu. SWivonake ngopfu eka tindzhawu leti xi cheriwaka exikoteleni loku tumbulukeke hiva 19th century naswona kukula eka juzi ya xihenge hiva 1980s swihlohletele leswaku xihenge xiva eka xiyimo xavunharhu eka mihandzu emisaveni hinkwayo laha hi lembe kuhumelerisiwaka kwalomu ka 25 million tonnes (2018), endzhaku ka tibanana nati mango.
Swihenge switisiwile e Afrika Dzonga hi lembe ra 1860 naswona swibyariwe rosungula e xifundzeni xa KwaZulu-Natal, endzhaku switlulela nale Eastern Cape.
Vuhumelerisi Bya Xihenge Emisaveni Hinkwayo
Vahumelerisi nkulu vanharhu emisaveni hinkwayo va swihenge i tiko ra Costa Rica, Brazil na Philippines, laha hinkwavo vahumelerisaka kwalomu ka kutlula 2.5 million tonnes hi lembe. Costa Rica na Brazil vaphakela tiko ra US na Europe, loko Philippines ri xavisela matiko yofana na Japan na Korea hi swihenge swa furexe.
E Afrika, swihenge swihumelerisiwa e Angola, Tanzania laha kungana vuhumelerisi byin’wana e Afrika Dzonga - ehansi ka 100 000 tonnes hi lembe. Kwalomu ka 80% wa vuhumelerisi bya swihenge swa Afrika Dzonga swikongomisiwe eka vuhumelerisi bya switirhisiwa hi muxaka wa (Cayenne cultivar), kutani leswinga sala (mainly Queen) swi xavisiwa eka timakete talaha kusuhi swirikarhi switsakama.
Switirhisiwa Swa Xihenge
Swihenge swile henhla swinene hiti vitamin C, fibre, calcium, manganese na potassium. Muhandzu wutlhela wupfuneta eka mpfuvelo naswona wuna vuswikoti byaku horisa kupfimba hikokwalaho ka vukona bya bromelian. Bromelian i ntlawa wa ti protein letingana sulphur leti gayelaka ti enzymes naswona tinga tirhisiwa tani hi xiomisa nyama, ku engetelela ku n’oka ka gelatin eka swin’wiwa, eka tipende ta latex nale ka kutlhuvutsiwa ka madzovo.
Bromelian hi xivumbeko xa mapa, cream, tipilisi kumbe tani hi mpfuneto wa swakudya swinga tshungula kuipfimba na mavabyi yofana na sinusitis xika’nwe na arthritis kukatsa naku totiwa eka swilondza naku susa nlhonge leyi feke eka timbanga totshwa.
Kuya hi muxaka, xihenge xinga dyiwa xitetano tani hi muhandzu lowu tsakamaka kumbe xicheriwa endzeni ka xikotela, ku endliwa juzi, jamu na chutney. Kutlhela ku vikiwa leswaku juzi ya xihenge yihunguta swikombiso swa mavabyi lawa ya vangiwaka hiku famba famba. Xihenge xotsakama xinga cheriwa endzeni ka ti curries, xifambelana kahle swinene na ham natin’wana tinyama naswona xinga virisiwa kuva xita humelerisa nyama leyi nyanganyaka leyi vuriwaka nata de pina.
Matluka ya xihenge lexintsongo ya dyiwa tani hi matsavu e Afrika naswona muhandzu woka wunga vupfangi wuna phoyizeni. Kasi fibre leyinga eka matluka ya xihenge yi tirhisiwa ku endla malapi, ku endla tintanghu, ritavala ro phasa tihlampfi xikan’we naku hulela vuhlalu.
Translated by Ike Ngobeni