Mambo Jambo....MAMONCILLO! A little tangy taste from the tropics....

Haymarket has done it again....discovered another species of fruit, foreign to most, but friends to Central and South Americans....introducing the Mamoncillo....


I was not intrigue by them at first, since they have a strong resemblance to the green olive *something I have yet to learn to appreciate after many trials....which included the dirty martini of course....heh....but after having seen them in 2 consecutive visits to Haymarket, my reservation was overrun by my curiosity. I observed and picked the worker whom appeared to be most approachable....from my shopping experience at Haymarket, sometimes that's a necessity for a successful inquiry =P


And indeed, it was a success! I was granted a brief description and a public demonstration on how to savour this treat. With the free demo, he earned his business....half pound of it....and without hesitation, I withdrew a single emerald gem from my bag. The feeling of its skin on mine was oddly familiar. It was very much like a Longan....a fruit from Southeast Asia....only softer and more waxy. My instinct was to peel the mamoncillo like a longan (Southeast Asians out there should know what I mean), and the creamy orange plump flesh slipped out without an effort. I popped it into my mouth and attempted to take a bite....it didn't take long for me to realise that I was supposed to suck the pulp that encased the stone of the fruit. Don't let the fullness of the flesh fool you....the stone itself practically occupied ~95% of the volume within its shell, and the slippery pulp was a challenge for my tongue to undress....but I was not easy discourage, as it was simply delicious! The tangy, juicy membrane was refreshing, followed by the intense sweetness with floral accent, and unlike other fruits, it had a long finishing. Although this fruit is genetically related to the lychee, it took me a while before I can brainstorm a food that masks the textual experience....it was yet another fruit from Asia, 黄皮, or the Clausena lansium.


Enough said, I will leave you with an interesting fact. According to Caribbean folk wisdom (especially in Jamaica), girls learn the art of kissing by eating the sweet flesh of this fruit, also it is said that if a girl finds two seeds then they'll have twins!