Rex Trulove
This fruit is from Argentina, but it is somewhat better known than many of the South American fruits. It is now quite popular in Central America and is occasionally found is specialty US markets, though it is far from common. It is also commonly grown in Mexico, throughout the Caribbean, and in the Philippines.
The scientific name of this tree is Spondias purpurea and it has many common names; ciruela, jocote, hog plum, siniguelas, and others. The tree in the cashew family. It rather looks like a plum, but it isn’t a plum.
The fruit is an inch or two in diameter and first appears green, then yellow, turning deep red or purple as it ripens. Until it totally ripens, the fruit is extremely tart and high in vitamin C, but the very ripe fruit is very sweet and juicy. This fruit is also highly aromatic.
This is one of the most popular fruits in Central America.
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Have you ever seen or tasted this fruit?
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Yes
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No
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I’ve never even heard of this fruit
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This is the first time see this fruit
A lot of people haven’t, including a lot of Americans.
I have never seen or heard of this fruit before
This is another one that is occasionally grown in Florida, though it isn’t common.
I don’t think it is similar to the siniguelas here which has a bit stone and think flesh. Also it is not red.
There are different cultivars and they do look different, but they all originated from the fruit I showed. They are stone fruit, so they look a lot like a plum, which also has a single large seed in the middle of the fruit.
I have not seen something like this here in the Philippines but we have sineguelas but does not look like the one in your picture. It has big but only one seed and you can only eat the portion that covers the seed.
Yes, that’s the one. There are different cultivars, so the appearance can sometimes be a little different, depending on the kind that is grown.
I wonder if they taste the same. I hope one day I can have a taste of this variety.
My guess would be that they taste extremely similar, if not the same. That is often the case for other fruits and vegetables.
This is looking nice and yummy.
I agree. It looks so juicy.
Never heard of this fruit before.
There are so many fruits that we never get to see or taste. It’s a pity.
I agree with you Rex.