Mammee apple

What it is

A mammee apple measures 10–20 cm (4–8 in) across. Its leathery brown skin encloses a thin whitish membrane, then yellow-orange flesh. Small fruits usually hold one large seed; bigger ones can hold as many as four.

The peel is bitter, and the membrane often is too. Preparing the pulp means peeling the fruit, scraping away that membrane and removing any bits of seed covering stuck to the flesh.

Where it comes from

Mammee apple comes from the West Indies and northern South America. It also grows in Central America and northern Brazil. On Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the evergreen trees shade home gardens. In French it is called abricot pays, though it is unrelated to the temperate apricot.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Jamaica, mammee apple cooks with wine and sugar for a dessert served warm or cold. In the Dominican Republic, uncooked pulp blended with sugar becomes frozen sherbet.

In Martinique, an abricot-pays trifle layers fruit in syrup with whipped coconut cream and cookie crumbs. Cane sugar, lime zest and cinnamon flavour the syrup; the cook picks a ripe but firm fruit so the pieces don't turn to mush.

How it's grown

The evergreen tree resembles a southern magnolia, with a dense crown of glossy leaves. It favours full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. Young trees are sensitive to cold.

A grafted tree can begin fruiting three to five years after planting. A tree raised from seed may turn out male and never bear fruit, so grafting also removes that uncertainty.

When and where you'll find it

In southern Florida, mammee apple usually ripens in summer and fall. In the Bahamas, the usual season runs from May through July, with fresh fruit at roadside stands and in the Nassau native market. In Hawaiʻi, Farm Link lists fruit from Lokoea Farms on Oʻahu in its online grocery shop.