Jocote

Jocote is a fruit of a flowering plant in the cashew family. Its scientific name is Spondias Purpurea and also known as Spanish Plum. The fruit is deliciously sweet when it is maturely ripened otherwise it is a kind of sour or acidic fruit.

It is mostly eaten ripe, with or without the peel, but on occasions, it could be eaten unripe with salt or lime juice. It could also be squeezed for juice.

This jocote fruit grows on small deciduous trees in warm tropical areas. They grow following tiny red flowers before the appearance of leaves. The fruit grows along knobby and thick branches in bunches or alone.

Jocote fruit has many names, some of them which I am sharing with you are:

Spanish plum, Hog plum, Spondias Mobin, Red mombin, Mombin, etc.

Also, see June Plum, Star Fruit, and Otaheiti Apple

Where is Jocote From?

Jocote fruit is native to the tropical regions of America and extends from Mexico to Peru and Brazil. In Brazil, it is found in the wild and also properly cultivated. They are most commonly found in El Salvador, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and West Indies. In the Philippines, this fruit was reached by the Spanish explorers and became famous.

You can find them growing wild in thick dry forests or in the pastures, gardens. They are also used to create living fences of gardens. The Jocote tree can grow on many types of soil like limestone-based or soil rich in gravel, sand, or loam.

The wild populations of jocotes can be found in altitudes up to 1800 meters above sea level. Jocote is also known as a good plant to be grown in areas affected by soil erosion.

Thousands of years ago, Jocotes were used by the people in Central America for medicinal and food purposes. The gum from the tree was used as glue and joined with sapote or pineapple to make a treatment for jaundice.

Jocotes can be grown from seeds but it takes a long time so it could be easier to grow it using large cuttings, placed in an upright position in the soil.

What Does Jocote Look Like?

Jocotes have a great variety of sizes and shapes. On average they are about 2 and a half to 5 centimeters in diameter and are slightly elongate. Their shape could be oval, obovoid, oblong, or even like pear or plum.

Its thin skin has great variations of color between purple and red. It has a green color when it is not ripe and is of yellow color, pink and red color when riped. The colors may be mixed or in a single tone.

The skin of Jocote fruit is thin and of a waxy appearance. It is also edible but it is your own choice whether to eat it or peel it off.

You can also add the young shoots and fresh leave of Jocotes in salads or cook them as green veggies because they are edible.

The size of Jocote is mostly because of the central large seed which should be discarded as it is not edible. The color of the flesh of jocote fruit is mostly yellow but it varies from creamy white to bright pink.

What Does Jocote Taste Like?

The smell of Jocotes is aromatic which appeals to you to eat it as a snack.

Jocotes fruit has various tastes during the ripening process. When maturely ripen they are creamy and taste like a cross between a mango and plums. The taste is somewhat between sweet and sour. When the Jocotes are not completely ripened they can pucker your mouth because they are sour and mostly people add salt to balance the acidity and tart flavors.

How to Use Jocote Fruit?

You can eat Jocote fruit raw in both forms ripen or unripe. The seed of Jocote fruit is ignored. The fruit is pulpy, juicy, and fibrous. It is used for making cuisines and is an important ingredient for one of the typical dishes of Salvadoran cuisine.

The fruit of Jocotes is also consumed in boiled form or mashed with sugar to make a simple dessert.

You can also make juice of Jocote which is a very refreshing and delicious drink and also beneficial for your health and brain.

Besides being eaten as other fruits, Jocotes are also known popularly for their medicinal purposes.

When Is Jocote In Season?

Jocotes are in season now as they are at best in the fall and winter months. You can also get them throughout the year in frozen farms or others.

Where To Buy Jocote?

In winters they are available in bulk amounts at the roadsides, grocery stores, and vegetable shops.

You may find delicious festive desserts made of Jocotes on Christmas.

How to Store Jocote?

Jocotes have a life of a week or two but it may be extended by the way you store it.

If you want to store Jocotes you should place them away from sunlight because it withdraws the moisture from them causing wrinkled and dried before storing you should also ensure that there is no moisture and humidity can spoil Jocotes. A cool and dry place is always preferable to store Jocotes otherwise they will go bad earlier and would go to waste.

The best and easily available option for storing Jocotes is to refrigerate them and if you have washed Jocotes you must have to dry them before refrigerating as the watery fruits rot early.

For yearning Jocotes out of season, you can also freeze them but then you could not eat them raw, rather you should make them beverage out of it or make jams.

Health Benefits of Jocote:

Jocotes are delicious and health-giving fruits. They contain a variety of nutrients. They are rich in several vitamins and minerals. Some of the benefits of Jocotes to your health are given below:

1. Improves the Immune System:

Jocotes consists of iron and nutrients like minerals and vitamins A, B, and C which collectively enhance and boost your immune system.

2. Aids in Weight Loss:

Jocotes are appetite depressants since they contain a large number of fibers and high concentrations of vitamins, so it helps delay the appetite and improve digestion and weight loss.

3. Source of Energy:

As Jocotes are rich in iron and carbohydrates they help to restore the ATP in the body. They make you active because they flush the accumulation of lactic acid that can cause fatigue. Therefore, athletes and other hyperactive people are recommended this fruit.

4. Resists Anemia:

Anemia is the hemoglobin count of less than 12g/100ml of blood and iron deficiency is its leading cause. So you can combat or resist anemia if you regularly use Jacotes.

5. Relieves Cramp and Spasm:

Jocotes are a good supplier of calcium and potassium. The deficiency of these minerals disturbs the common pathway of muscular contractions in lower abdominal muscles and thus cause spasm related to periods and otherwise and those spasms to cause cramps.

So this little Jocote fruit if taken properly can give you riddance of the cramps and spasms by fulfilling the deficiency. Read More Here.

Conclusion

We can say that Jocotes are little fruits that have great nutritional benefits and give your day a kick start if included in your breakfast as raw or cooked form or the juice of Jocotes (which I personally like most).

In the end, I hope that you would have gotten better insight into these little creamy flavored fruits.

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