(Eriobotrya japonica or Mespilus japonica or Photinia japonica – Family Rosaceae)
Loquat, Japanese medlar, Nispero
nèfle du Japon (French), japanische Mispel (German), nespolo del Giappone (Italian), nispero (Spanish), ameixa do Japao (Portuguese), pi pa (Chinese), biwa (Japanese)
Loquats are one of the few sub-tropical fruits that belong to the Rose family of numerous fruits.
It is native to China and Southern Japan, and it has been cultivated for over 1,000 years.
They gradually spread through Asia and India, reaching Europe in the 18th century. It is now grown all around the Mediterranean, as well as Australia, and Central and South America.
Loquats are the fruit of a medium-sized evergreen tree and looks something like a medlar. The two fruits are sometimes confused for each other, and thus, the nickname of “Japanese medlar”. They are tolerant of both tropical heat and a certain degree of frost.
Loquat is a name that comes from the Cantonese luk-kwyit, meaning “rush-orange”, which describes the colour of the flesh. The fruits are small and plum-shaped, with apricot-coloured skin and white or yellowy-orange flesh engulfing two or three large, brown seeds.
They have a sweet scent and a delicate mango-like flavour, which can be enhanced by a bit of lemon or lime.
Ripe loquats are speckled with brown patches. Perfect, apricot-like fruit are still unripe. These can be ripened if kept at room temperature in a fruit bowl for a few days.
Loquats can be eaten raw, skin and all, or poached in a light syrup. They go well with other fruits in a salad or in jams and other preserves. The seeds add an almond-flavour to the preserve.
