Forgotten fruits are almost in need of their own column around here lately. Last week, quince was on the agenda. This week, we’re talking about loquats.
The fruit, with a cherry-like flavor and a texture reminiscent of melon, makes an appearance in Southern California’s spring season, where it also tends to “grow like a weed.” For that reason, there is very little market demand, and as such, they’ve been almost entirely neglected by American farmers. (Sound familiar?) They’re also the divas of produce (read: are high-maintenance to farm). In the world of agriculture, the cards seemed to be stacked against the poor loquat.
But what about in the world of cooking? We hear they make a lovely Indian chutney. Or you could eat them straight off of the tree. Either way, you’ll be one pome closer to discovering - or rediscovering, as the case may be - the weirder, less desirable cousins of apples and pears.
Market Watch: Above the ocean in Malibu, a rare orchard of loquats from LA Times
I have a thing for most foods topped with a fried egg, a strange disdain for overly soupy tomato sauce, and I can never make it home without ripping off the end of a newly-bought baguette. I like spoons very much.
See what other Food52 readers are saying.