Mamey

Besides the Durian, the Mamey is the most delicious fruit you've probably never heard of. But in Interzone, they know a thing or two about a thing or two.

The fruit of the Mamey tree, aka Zapote, aka pouteria sapota, is popular in Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and Florida. But for some reason, this open-secret ingredient is hard to come by everywhere else.

Mamey is usually eaten raw and is often made into milkshakes, smoothies, and ice cream. (It's also widely considered in the Latin-American world to be an aphrodisiac.) Even if you don't feel like making a trek to Florida - and shame on you if you don't - you can have them imported right into your own living room in Minnesota thanks to Local Harvest, who says:

When the Mamey was first introduced from Cuba, people used to actually beat each other up just to get this fruit in their hand.

It's a true story. The Mamey has a taste and flavor of a fruit unlike anything on the planet Earth. Sought after by the Cuban population of Miami this tropical beauty has a texture on the inside that is a cross of creamy and sweet. On the outside the texture is between sandpaper and the fuzziness of a peach. Can be eaten when soft. When cut in half what is revealed is a vibrant salmon colored flesh.

The taste would be a mix of sweet potato with pumpkin and top it off with Maraschino Cherry with an Almond twist. The Cubans have been making shakes, smoothies and ice creams from this for as long as we can tell here in Miami. The fruit is a good source of vitamin A and has a good shot of potassium in it. Don't forget if your ever passing by to the Florida Keys, please stop by the farm we have some beautiful specimens of these trees.

Of course, our friends at Hyppo are on it - they currently offer a Maple Mamey popsicle, which I'm looking forward to trying in a few weeks when the never-ending JSH Book Tour rolls back into St. Augustine.