(Spondias sp. – Family Anacardiaceae)
Mombin (red/yellow), Jamaican Plums, Spanish-plum, hoy, hog plums, golden apple, limbu, Otaheite-apple, ambarella
ciruela/jobo (Spanish), siniguelas (Philippines), jocote (xocotl)(Mexico/Guatemala), prunier d’Espagne/prunier/mombin rouge/mombin jaune* (French/French colonial), caja/jobo (Brazil/Costa Rica), cajá mirim (Portuguese), ciruela roja/ciruela amarilla (Cuba)
Related to the mango, cashew, and ambarella, the mombin is grown in the West Indies, Central and South America, Southeast Asia, and India.
The name ‘hog plum’ applies to a large number of fruits, including both mombins and such other species such as amra/imra (S. mangifera) and imbu (S. tuberosa). It was not originally intended to be a derogatory name but simply referring to the food prefered by pigs.
The red mombin (S. purpurea), or Spanish plum, is native to tropical America and is a fruit of major importance in parts of Mesoamerica. It was introduced to the Philippines by Spanish colonists.
The yellow mombin (S. mombin or S. lutea) is native to Brazil and Costa Rica. It is mildly acidic and juicy, but generally regarded as inferior to the red.
The fruits vary greatly in size, form, and palatability. They are usually oval or roundish and from one to two inches in length, ranging from a deep red to yellow in colour.
Good fruits have a juicy flesh with a fairly acidic, spicy flavour, almost like a cashew fruit but not as strong. These fruits grow several to a branch and, like the mango, have soft skin and a large central pit.
The firm, yellow, juicy flesh is deliciously fragrant and sweet and more like pineapple or apple than mango. Mombins are also very fragile, so are seldom exported.
They can be eaten raw with a little sweetener or combined with other fruits in a salad. They can also be poached, pickled, dried, or made into jams, and they make a good addition to curries.
The large, hard core may be cracked and eaten like a nut.
The fruits are very rich in vitamin C and a good source of calcium and phosphorus.
