Fruit of the day: mamey

Walking along the street today, we saw this. No, it's not a rock or a softball. It's mamey. (be careful--there is another fruit that is sometimes called mamey or sapote which is very different. This will explain.

The fruit was very heavy for it's size, and the skin was leathery and bark-like. Inside there was a smooth orange pulp and 4 gigantic woody seeds.

It tasted great. I ate half of it right away. Most of the "new" fruits I've tried have taken a while to grow on me, but I really enjoyed this. The flesh was a bit like mango in texture, and super-duper mild in flavor. Not so achingly sweet as some other tropical fruits. Unfortunately--there was a down side: the smell. Now, I can't be sure if mine was over-ripe or if this is normal, but there was a decidedly unpleasant smell. Something vaguely familiar in a chemically way, mixed with "something has gone rotten in the school fridge" kind of a smell. I found myself being careful not to inhale as I took a bite. Terrible. Really, it smells just awful. But it tasted so nice!

Now, about half an hour later--my stomach is ever so slightly upset. Reading here I find that mamey has a reputation as a fruit only to be eaten in moderation, as it is reputedly hard to digest. Once again, I should do the research before the experimenting.