Meet the Mamey

When Dylan and I went to a local Mexican market to fetch some things for our salmon enchiladas yesterday, he asked if he could get an agua fresca. Most of the flavors I recognized, but the one on the end was a new one for me.

So, I asked, "What's 'mamey'?"

The man behind the counter pointed into the produce section. Do you see that brown fruit? Over there! 

"Which one?" I asked, standing on my tiptoes to see.

There are two of them...right there on top.

I looked for the display that looked bare. Most of the wooden crates were teeming with piles of fruit. Then I spotted them. The lone duo. "The ones that look like a cacao pod?" asked Dylan excitedly. "Sort of like a cacao pod," he clarified.

I walked over and picked them up while the man finished ladling out our agua fresca. Both were soft to the touch. I selected the one that was less squishy and brought it back to the counter. I asked, "I just eat it just like this? Just slice it up?"

Yes. He looked mildly amused that I had no idea what the Mamey was.

So, Dylan and I bought it. It made the trip to the store an exciting adventure versus just an errand...at least that's what Dylan said. Drudgery is what he calls going to the store with me. Nice vocabulary. Can we work on tact?

When you slice it open, it has one monstrous seed and the flesh is a pretty, deep coral color. It - in flavor and color - reminds me of a mixture between a sweet potato and a papaya. It's unique...and delicious.

Looking for recipes online, I found one for a mamey mousse and another for a mamey sauce. I did get quite a bit of pulp/puree from the one fruit. So I might get around to one of those. But this morning, I decided to use it like I would a pumpkin puree and made a bundt cake. Look for the recipe soon.

What do you do when you see a fruit or vegetable that you've never seen before? Do you buy it? Or do you skip it?!? Comment below, or email me at constantmotioncamilla [at] gmail [dot] com.