Guatemala and Mexico are the birth places for the delicious avocado fruit.

Avocado Trivia 1: The word avocado comes from the the Spanish word aguacate which in turn comes from the Mexican Nahuatl language word ahuacacuauhitl, which means testicle tree. Avocado in Maya is on and palta en Quechua. Source: UC Davis.

Avocado Trivia 2: The people from La Antigua Guatemala are known as Panzas Verdes, green bellies. They have gotten this non-offensive nickname for the great amounts of avocados they ate in the past.

Avocado Trivia 3: Wilson Popenoe took the local avocado variant to California and from it the California avocado emerged (hass). Read this plaque placed by the California Avocado Society in Antigua Guatemala’s plaza mayor (main plaza) in which they recognized and appreciated the contribution of Antigua Guatemala to the development of the avocado industry in California.

We are so lucky in Guatemala that we can have fresh fruit every day of the year. Often times the fruit has been harvested the day before. I have mentioned before that La Antigua Guatemala is strategically located between exuberant low coastal lands and the highlands, each within a couple of hours from Antigua Guatemala, which means we have access to the widest range of vegetables and fruits all year round. That’s also the reason why you find fresh fruit vendors in every plaza and park in Guatemala.

Each bag of fresh oranges, papaya, tangerines, pineapple, cucumbers, radish and jocotes (/hoe-ko-tes/) or red mombin will set you back about U.S.$0.65. Not too bad if you ask me, what do you think? Is it reasonable?

These are the hands the rock the coffee berries off the branches swiftly, almost effortlessly it seemed.

There’s something about these hands that moves me . What kind of stories are behind these hands? What life have they lived?

A few days ago Susanita was asking herself about rambutan and loquats tropical fruits.

Rambutan, or licha as it is known in Guatemala, is a red, plum-sized tropical fruit with soft spines and a slightly acidic taste. Lichas are now a staple of the mercados in Guatemala. Lichas (rambutan) are new comers and that’s why some Guatemalans living abroad might not be familiar with them.

Loquats, on the other hand, has been a staple of the Guatemalan fruit repertoire for as long as I can remember. “What the hell are you talking about?” Guatemalans maybe asking just about now. That’s right, loquats are nisperos or misperos, depends who you ask. As always, follow the white rabbit to see nisperos and read the background information.

Okay, I have solved the mysteries of rambutan and loquats tropical fruits. Now, which one do you prefer?

[gmap]

Okay, we will finish the Zapote and other exotic tropical fruits from Guatemala week with the Chico Zapote or simply chico which in English is known as Sapodilla.

The flavor of Chico Zapote is exceptionally sweet and very tasty, with what can be described as a malty flavor. The unripe fruit is hard to the touch and contains high amounts of saponin, which has astringent properties similar to tannin, drying out the mouth.

The Chico Zapote is a large ellipsoid berry, 4-8 cm in diameter, very much resembling a smooth-skinned potato and containing 2-5 seeds. Inside, its flesh ranges from a pale yellow to an earthy brown color with a grainy texture akin to that of a well-ripened pear. The seeds are black and resemble beans, with a hook at one end that can catch in the throat if swallowed. (Source: Wikipedia)

Trivia: From the sap of Chico Zapote tree is produce the natural chewing gum known as chicle.

Photographic Aside: Never underestimate to power of the close-up shot. I took several shots of the chico zapote and then I realized I should cut one up so you can see the insides. Duh!, yes I know I should have done the same with all the other fruits. That’s how I got the shot of the sapodilla fruit you see below (click to see a larger version, as always) which is, all in all, a good enough photo of the chico zapote. Then, I decided to take a few macro shots for texture and wallpapers and that’s how I obtained the large photo above. Sure the close-up macro image above does not show the entire shape of the chico zapote, but who cares, as long I can inflict a nostalgic pinch to the Guatemalans living abroad!

Guatemalan produces several kinds of mangoes (dozens really), but by far mango de pashte (loofah mango) or mango de leche (milk mango) as it also known, is considered the best by the majority of Guatemalans. Interesting enough, I had never had mango de pashte outside the Guatemalan borders. I don’t know if the other mango-producing countries have them; does anybody know?

I am sure many Guatemalans living abroad, right about now, will be craving to have one or two of the mangoes you see in the photo above. Please, you know who you are, come forward and let us know about your cravings and desires and please don’t tell me mango no come mango!

Even though most people are familiar with cashew nuts (I think), I am almost sure many people do not have the slightest idea about the fruit that produces the cashew nuts.

Well there you have it, the jocote de marañón or cashew mombin or as Javier calls it, cashew apple. Although I think the word apple does not apply for the cashew mombin or for the caimito either, which, I recently learnt, is called in star apple in English; go figures! I think the English language needs more fruity words .

Last year we learnt that jocotes or red mombins are related to cashew mombins and thus both fruits are called jocotes. Can you say hawkōttes?

Do you want to know which part of the jocote de marañón produces the cashew nut, do you? Well, just ask and we will be happy to give you the glory details of just how the cashew nuts are produced.

The Cashew Nut Origin Aside: As requested by several of the readers of AntiguaDailyPhoto, here is the recipe for turning the seeds of jocote marañón (cashew mombin) into cashew nuts. As Claudia pointed out, the nut comes out of the funny looking stem, which is actually the seed. Well, the seed, but with with a carapace. So you need to burn or toast the protective cover first (see picture 1 below) to get it to crack open and give you the already roasted nut (see picture 2 below). Things to keep in mind before you go burning the cashew armored seed: 1. The shield carapace produces a very strong smell as the oils and fats in it begin to burn. 2. The oils and fats inside the armored shield also produce a lot of smoke as they burn. 3. It’s best to roast the armored seeds in the left overs of slowly burning charcoal or wood logs. Last but not least, make sure you don’t over burn them as it happened to me.

I tell you, those Costa Ricans have no shame. First they made the entire world believe that Central America was them. Then, they passed some funky and colorful looking bird as Guatemala’s own Quetzal. Costa Ricans are now working in their coffee campaign and trying very hard to convince the world about the high quality of their coffee. Come on, have some shame, everybody knows the best coffee in the entire world is from Guatemala.

Last Saturday I received three notes via email from the New York Times in which they implied that Costa Rica was the only ecological, cloud and tropical forest vacation destination in Central America. Come on, I am sure the entire country of Costa Rica fits inside our exuberant-lush-green El Petén department, in northern Guatemala. Anyone can have the same adventures in the jungles of Costa Rica as in the jungles of El Petén, except in El Petén they can also have the majestic and awe-inspiring experience of visiting the lost world and the birth cradle of the Maya Civilization. That’s right folks, the same jungle adventures plus the Mayan ruins of the most powerful and advance civilization of the American Continent.

I can understand how people can be confused with all the money the Costa Ricans spend in promoting their country.

However, I draw the line when they want to pass the caimito zapote (star apple) as a Costa Rican tropical fruit. Come on, have some shame… that’s it, we have to draw the line somewhere.

Everybody knows the caimito is from Guatemala, right?

Many were the contributions of Meso-America to the world in terms of brand-new dietary crops; so long is the list that one can not imagine a world without such staples like maize (corn), tomatoes, avocados, potatoes, squash, pumpkins, tomatillo, beans, red hot chili peppers [not the rock band ], et-cetera.

Some crops from Meso-America, however, fair better in the world than others, like jocotes (red mombin), jocotes de marañón (cashew mombin), zapotes. I am not sure how well sapotes are known beyond the borders of Meso-America. I know some people would not know what jocote cashew looks like even though they might be very familiar with the cashew nuts.

You are going to have to come if you want to look at one of the stranger-looking tropical fruits from the Guatemala: Jocote de Marañón.

Well, looking at a photograph helps in learning the shape and colors of the Guatemalan tropical fruits, but describing its taste is another matter altogether. How do describe the taste of zapotes (sapote mamey)?

My part of the equation goes as far as showing the Guatemalan tropical fruits and providing some context background information. I am going to request the help of the AntiguaDailyPhoto.Com visitors and friends in describing the taste of zapotes, caimitos and jocotes de marañón and mangos de pashte. Please, help!

Okay everyone, I solemnly declare this week as the Zapotes (sapotes) and other such exotic tropical fruits week.

Sapote or tzapotl is a Nahuatl language word for a soft, edible fruit. The word is incorporated into the common names of several unrelated fruit-bearing plants native to Mexico, Central America and northern parts of South America. (source: Wikipedia)

We will begin our ride with Mamey, also known as the South American sapote (Quararibea cordata = Matisia cordata), family Malvaceae, a species of tree native to the Amazon Rainforests of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru; according to Wikipedia.

Next in line, we will have the what’s normally known as zapote in Guatemala or sapote mamey in Mexico. After that, we will take a look at the purple caimito, another kind of zapote. There are jocotes de marañon and mangos de pashte on our plate this week. Quick, go hide the scale because we are going to have a fruity tropical mystery tour.

But before we continue, please tell me if you ever had mamey (South American sapote) and if not, why not?