I wonder how many variations of the passion fruit we have in Guatemala. Let’s count the obvious ones: Granadilla, Chirimoya, Maracuyá, and now Banana passionfruit. I am sure I am missing a few others. The Banana passionfruit shown here is the Passion tripartita var. mollissima. Banana passionfruit is the fruit of several plants in the … Read more
Here are your Spanish words of the day: Mangostán, mangostino, mangostín and mangosto are variations for Mangosteen. The Times They Are A-Changin’ —Bob Dylan A few years ago I shared a post about salty granizadas [shaved ice] and many Guatemalans living abroad complained that when they grew up in Guatemala they never knew about salty … Read more
The nances are in season in Guatemala now. Nance is the Guatemalan name for Byrsonima crassifolia, found in North America as yellow cherries or jaunt cerise. These delicious fruits have a very pungent and distinct flavor and smell. The taste of nace is not comparable to any other fruit. According to the Wikipedia entry for … Read more
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, while some people in the northern hemisphere are still suffering the struggles of a harsh winter, here in Antigua Guatemala we are already enjoying the benefits of Summer. The mercado, market, is full of summer tropical fruits such as mangoes. There are all kinds of mangoes now available … Read more
While some people in the northern hemisphere are still suffering the struggles of a harsh winter, here in Antigua Guatemala we are already enjoying the benefits of Summer. The mercado, market, is full of summer tropical fruits: mangoes, jocotes de marañón, tangerines, all kinds of berries, pineapples, etc. In my opinion, this is the most … Read more
In Guatemala we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, well, most Guatemalans don’t, some do and most ex-pats from the U.S. do as well. Anyhow, no turkey for me today, I had mole poblano for lunch though. On the other hand, what we should be thankful for in Guatemala is to be able get fresh tropical fruits year … Read more
Apparently the nísperos, loquats, from San Juan del Obispo are the best of Guatemala. Just look at the size of those nísperos versus the normal size. As I have shared before, nisperos are known as loquats, sapodilla and naseberry in other countries. What about the flavour, what does it tastes like? Well, Raquel shared this … Read more
Jocote or Ciruela Roja or Spanish Plum or Red Mombin or Hog Plum or Spondias purpurea or whatever it is called where you live; jocote is a delicious fruit, don’t you agree?
As I have shared with you before, granadillas (Passiflora ligularis) are often confused with Maracuya (Passiflora edulis) because they look similar, especially the yellow maracuyá (passion fruit). However they taste different, granadillas are sweet while maracuyá are more acidic. The fruit is between 6.5 and 8 cm long and between 5.1 and 7 cm in … Read more
Nisperos or misperos are known as loquats, sapodilla and naseberry in other countries. What about the flavour, what does it tastes like? Well, Raquel shared this with us: I remember thinking that it tasted somewhat like a cross between a peach and an apricot the first time I tried one…but then again, the taste can’t … Read more
The chief agronomist of The United Fruit Company, Wilson Popenoe, took the local avocado variant to California and from it the California avocado emerged (Hass). Read the plaque placed by the California Avocado Society in Antigua Guatemala’s main square in which they recognized and appreciated the contribution of Antigua Guatemala to the development of the … Read more
I believe most people are familiar with cashew nuts, however, I am almost sure many people do not have the slightest idea about the fruit that produces the cashew nuts, the jocote de marañón. Well, here you have it, the jocote de marañón or cashew mombin or as Javier calls it, cashew apple and the … Read more
Once again granadillas are in season in Guatemala. As I have mentioned before, granadillas (Passiflora ligularis) are often confused with Maracuya (Passiflora edulis) because they look similar, especially the yellow maracuyá (passion fruit). However they taste different, granadillas are sweet while maracuyá are more acidic. Granadillas, Passiflora ligularis, commonly known as the Sweet granadilla or … Read more
Slowly, many ambulant vendors are upgrading to delivering their wares on vehicles, from motor bicycle trucks to small pick up trucks as the one shown here. As we can see in the picture, right now is watermelon season in Guatemala, although I am sure you can get them year round as well as with bananas. … Read more
I have never understood why most exotic tropical fruits bear the name apple modified by an adjective in English. Guatemalan caimito for instance, is related to zapote fruits and I would say it is a cousin of Mamey, Chico Zapote and Zapote. In fact, the first time I shared a photo of caimitos here I … Read more