Chennette's Mangoes

The event is hosted by the Caribbean Network of Rural Women Producers and supported by IICA. More information available here.

The Mango Festival: a day of fun, education, community, and good tastes, celebrates the short season of mango abundance. The event includes activities for all age groups, story telling, “smell and name the mango”, best mango chow, best mango display and mango eating competitions. The members of the Network will have on sale tasty mango products, from the sweet: jellies, pastries, drinks, ice creams – to the spicy: chows, pickles, marinades, and for the exotic: beauty products and culinary innovations.

What really grabs me is the “smell and name the mango” competition – I figure that is one where young people just cannot compete. As it is, I don’t know half the mangoes my parents grew up with and they salivate at the mere mention of the name! I imagine they can remember the scents…So I’d come out just to see the varieties Although tasting some good mango chows is also extremely tempting!

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Photos used in the mosaic: 1. trini mangoes, 2. Mango Vere Tree Trunk, 3. Saibani mango on wood, 4. mango kuchela, 5. Rosy Julie Mangoes, 6. ice cream mango 4, 7. mango anchar, 8. ice cream mango 3, 9. Glasgow – Dinner, 10. Saibani mangoes – section, 11. Rice, Dhal, Curry Shrimp and Mango, 12. Saibani Mangoes, 13. Maracas – Aloo Pie

Mosaic made using fd’s Flickr Toys Mosaic Maker.

It’s time for some fruits again. Granted, not all of these are necessarily in season right this minute, like my previous post, but think of this as some more general information on fruits in the region. You never know when you might need this kind of information. Buying fruits in the Caribbean can be a tricky business because you really have to know where you are and what to ask for…disregard those stereoptypical views of Caribbean life as simplicity, we like things complicated. Remember the story of the Pommerac? Oh, the names…even in the same country. I tell you – it took forever to find out what they call it here in Guyana!

MANGOES
Of course this shot is of mangoes, which are easy. We all call them mangoes. Ah, but what KIND of mangoes! These are Julie, and I believe they can be found by that name in most of the English-speaking Caribbean (go on, correct me, it’s not like I am actually basing this on anything other than my gut feeling ) But what do other people call the ice cream mango?

Or this hybrid mango my mother saved for me last month, which she thinks is called Saibani - doesn’t it look interesting? It’s supposed to be a sweet, almost spicy, very flavourful mango and she saved 2 for me. These didn’t taste much different from a long mango (mango vere) though…not bad, but not particularly special. A friend who knows these things better than I, said that it’s not a very stable hybrid, so some of the mangoes on a tree may revert to a less fancy tasting ancestor. They do look pretty with that cool S-shape!

SUGAR APPLE

Now, this is an interesting looking fruit! Made of overlapping, almost petal-like bits of rind, covering sections of sweet (oh so sweet) slimy white flesh, each with a shiny black seed. Wikipedia entry for Annona squamosa. We do also call it custard apple in Trinidad, and although that may be incorrect scientifically, that’s just how it is with the fruit names down here. I believe it is also called sweet sop in other islands, like Jamaica (as opposed to soursop). Also called anones in Puerto Rico (thanks to Flickr visitors!)

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DRUMROLL!!!

And last, but not least, a fruit that really should have been showcased on this blog since its inception. Seriously. And I think it was only a month ago that Umar, a regular reader and commenter, made his way though my posts and called me on this glaring omission. So, here it is. Finally. Lifespan of a Chennette is pleased, for the first time, to showcase the Chennette. The fruit. The green one. That grows on trees. NOT ME. These!

CHENNET

The fruit which gave me my ID…my online ID anyway. Also called guinep in other islands (including Tobago). These were bought in the Chaguanas market last week in Trinidad. My neighbour’s tree used to bear really big chennet, so whenever I saw the more common small ones I always felt they were inferior somehow. Maybe that’s why I never actively sought them out before for the blog? Nevermind, for now I can perhaps replace Stuart (the sheep on my About page)…for a while anyway

Wikipedia entry: :”The mamoncillo (Melicoccus bijugatus), also known as the mamón (although the word is considered obscene in some Spanish speaking countries), chenet, guaya, gnep, ginep, skinnip (in Jamaica, St. Kitts) genip, guinep, ginnip, kenèp (in Haiti), quenepa (in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic), ackee (in Barbados), Spanish lime, or limoncillo, is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae…”

You’ll note the Bajans call it ACKEE…I think they beat the Guyanese/Grenadians at this dual name game. As strange as Cashew is for the pommerac, I think calling chennette ackee is stranger

It’s hard to describe what this tastes like…I think it has a light sweet taste, maybe like a grape?, but completely different texture -that flesh is soft and squishy and has to be sucked dry. According to wikipedia, it’s lychee-like. You have to crack the shell open with your teeth and then the flesh is a relatively thin layer on a round hard pit/stone. 

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So, there you have it. Some more fruits of the region. And an introduction to my namesake fruit. And my attempt at watermarking my photos after the theft! I started out with the watermark clear across the middle, but have settled for now on the lower right.

Today.

The theme for the month of April (which ends today, I know) is Au Naturel! And, my entry…the lovely POMMERAC, ready-to-eat, unprocessed and untreated. Delicious. And pretty, with the redness and the whiteness next to each other. And the furry centre.

Pommerac is the French patois name in T&T. Also called Jamoon in Trinidad. Known as Malay Apples. These are much more fibrous in texture than an apple, not crunchy, but with high water content. Different taste, however, that I haven’t figured out how to describe! Latin name: Syzygium malaccense.

In Jamaica they call it an otaheite apple (ignore what other people call the otaheite apple). From a comment on my Flickr I was advised that they call it Ponmdo in creole Martinique, Pomme d’eau in French. In Guadeloupe it’s called Pomme Malaka. As it’s not really sweet they say also “acre” and in creole that word is “rak“. That becomes Ponmrak or Pommerac if you turn it Frenchy (according to jendayee).

UPDATE (6 May 2008): From a comment left by Trinikreyol on my Flickr:

Ok i am a trini and i speak creole also known as patois, i can give you an explanation of the word pommerac. In trinidad unlike martinique and guadeloupe our creole has been strongly influenced by spanish. The word pommerac comes from a combination of the words pomme which is french for apple and the spanish word maracas which is what some trinis call shack-shack. The fruit does look like the instrument as well as an apple! Hence the name!

Some other shots.

Sapodillas!

I love these, but I never seem to have them that regularly. Now that we have access to our tree it’s great. Hope there are still more later in the month. These fruits taste like brown sugar in a fruit. Seriously. They are also called sapote or naseberry. Latin name: Manilkara zapota. See the Wikipedia entry.

(be warned – this post is heavy on the photos)

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Governor Plums!

Also called Jamaica plum, this is one of two types of plums in Trinidad. They are both eaten green with pepper and salt (almost everything is in Trinidad ), but while the regular plums get yellow when ripe, Governor Plums turn a gorgeous deep red or burgundy colour, with a beautifully contrasting yellow juiciness inside. Very juicy. Yum.

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West Indian Cherry!

Cherries are always in season it seems, but if you let your cherry tree (shrub) grow too high, you’ll just be feeding the birds. Sweet, a bit of tartness and loaded with Vitamin C. Turns a rich bright red with bright yellow pulp. Also called Acerola. Latin name: Malpighia Glabra. Wikipedia entry. In Guyana they make juice out of these cherries. I don’t know if they do that elsewhere, but it was in Guyana I tasted it first. We also have cherries we call sour cherries, which are similar, but stay green and incredibly tart (sour) and are used in preserves – whether the red Chinese preserves (spicy or sweet) or jams.

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Mangoes!

There were starch mangoes at home for the eating, and ripening Julie mangoes on the tree and a laden Long Mango (Mango Vere) tree just waiting. Mango season is in full swing with many more available. These pictures of assorted mangoes (including the beautifully named icream mango) are from last year, but the principle is the same We eat mangoes green, half-ripe and ripe. Green is usually cooked into curry mango, or preserved into anchar or kuchela. Half-ripe is perfect for chows. And ripe…well, ripe is just bliss. And good for chow too!! Pepper and salt.

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Soursop!

Not quite ripe yet, judging by my neighbour’s tree (this is in Barbados) but I am sure it’ll reach there soon. Although I don’t eat soursop. It has a milky white flesh with lots of seeds I believe and people make drinks and ice cream from it. Like I said, I don’t eat it. Wikipedia.

Stay tuned for more.