Mamey apple (mammea americana)

Description

In certain Latin American countries, mammea americana is referred to as “yellow mamey” (Spanish: mamey amarillo), in order to distinguish it from the unrelated but similar looking pouteria sapota, whose fruit is usually called “red mamey” (Spanish: mamey colorado or mamey rojo).

Mamey is round or slightly irregular, with a brown or grey-brown rind that is a few milimetres thick.

Mamey usually range from 10-15cm in diameter.

When unripe, the fruit is hard and heavy, but its flesh slightly softens when fully ripe. The flesh is orange to yellow, not fibrous, and can have various textures (crispy or juicy, firm or tender). The flavour of the flesh can be most closely compared to apricot.

Small fruits contain a single seed, while larger ones might have up to four.