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How to eat Mamey, and other fun facts

 

 

 

Uses for Mamey:
It is traditionally used to make ice cream or batidos, which are cold milkshakes made with milk, ice, Mamey, vanilla and nutmeg. The Mamey sapote is also stewed and used for making wine. It can be preserved and jammed, used in baked goods such as breads, pies, tarts and cakes, and added raw to fresh salads. The flavor of the fruit is enhanced by spices such as ginger, vanilla, nutmeg, honey and cloves. It's seed can be boiled with herbs, smoked over a wood fire, and used to flavor mole. It is also used to make chocolate drinks.

 

A backyard medicinal use of this fruit focuses mainly on the seed kernel which when shelled and pared with a knife smells and tastes like almonds. The seed kernel is regarded as a digestive and the oil is said to be diuretic. The oil is also used as a hair dressing to prevent hair loss associated with certain skin conditions and as sedative in eye and ear ailments.*

 

How to shop for Mamey:
At a fruit stand, market or natural food store, it is best to lightly scratch the skin near the stem. Unripe fruit is orange when scratched and will ripen in a week or less. Any fruit that is green will never ripen, only rot. A fully ripe fruit will give way to gently pressure (like an avocado), have a slightly heavier feel to it and a tight skin with little to no wrinkling.

 

How to tell if a Mamey is ready to eat:
Hold the fruit in your hand and press with your fingers. It should give slightly but still feel firm. Ripe mameys do not have a strong odor when ripe so you cannot go by smell. If it is soft and kind of mushy, it is passed it’s prime. If it is rock hard, you can either pass on buying it or leave it out for a while until it softens.

 

How to cut and use
The fruit can first be divided in half with a paring knife, then remove seed. The flesh can be scooped out for puree or sliced for eating "as is", similar to an avocado. A very nutrious, beautiful, and wonderfully delicous fruit. Enjoy!

 

*See Article Here