Loquat

What it is

Loquats hang in clusters, each fruit about 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) long. The skin runs from yellow to orange; inside, the flesh can be white, pale yellow or orange. The flesh is the part to eat; the seeds come out.

The variety changes the bite. Gold Nugget is sweet with an apricot-like flavour. Macbeth has large, yellow-skinned fruit with creamy flesh.

Where it comes from

Despite the name Japanese plum, loquat comes from southeastern China. Today it grows in Japan and India, around the Mediterranean and North Africa, and in Australia, New Zealand and the Americas.

It reached European gardens centuries ago: Paris had loquat trees in 1784, and plants from Canton, China, arrived at Kew in England in 1787.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Gaziantep, Türkiye, loquat becomes yenidünya kebabı. Cooks halve the fruit, remove the seeds and alternate it with balls of minced lamb on skewers. Salt and black pepper season the meat; the fruit and lamb cook over a fire or together in a baking tray.

This May-and-June dish comes with local pide bread, onion and parsley.

How it's grown

The evergreen tree reaches about 4.5–9 m (15–30 ft), with leathery, toothed leaves and scented white flowers. It blooms from late autumn into winter. Cold can kill the flowers or developing fruit even when the tree survives.

A tree grown from seed takes roughly 6–8 years to fruit and does not copy its parent’s variety. Grafted trees can start bearing 1–2 years after planting.

When and where you'll find it

In Florida, the harvest usually runs from February through May. Out of season, Miami Fruit takes preorders for small and large loquat boxes and fills them once the harvest begins. The fruit also travels in cans: Taiwan exports loquats canned in syrup.