What is mamey fruit? Mamey sapote is a tasty tropical fruit we often see at local markets here in Mexico. The fruit is native to South and Central America, but it is also grown in south Florida, so you might be able to find it at a grocery in the USA. It is much like an avocado in the way you slice and eat it.
Ripe mamey is creamy and delicious, with a texture similar to avocado. It is sweet, but not overly so. At it’s best, I think mamey tastes like a creamier version of a baked sweet potato. The taste may vary, with hints of apricot, peach, and pumpkin.
How to tell When Mamey Fruit is Ripe
Mamey fruit varieties are shaped from round to football-shaped sizes with dull, sandpapery skins. The mamey we find here at markets in Mexico range from “hard as a rock” to “so soft it looks like a flat tire”. If eating mamey soon, you want to buy fruit somewhere in between these two stages. The mamey should give slightly when pressed.
Mamey fruit grows on trees and is cut away when harvested, so pick a mamey that still has a nub of stem where it was taken from the tree. If the crown of stem is missing, the fruit can dry out, and may spoil prematurely.
If you buy firm mamey, just let it sit unrefrigerated until it softens. Firm, raw mamey is not edible. It’s hard to cut, semi-starchy, and bitter.
Cut ripe mamey just as you would an avocado. Run a sharp knife through the skin and around the pit to divide the mamey into two halves. There will likely be only a single pit at the center, but there may be up to four pits. The pits are slightly toxic, so do not consume them in any way, and the skin is inedible, as well.
The meat of the fruit ranges from a light salmon color, to orange, to a deeper reddish hue. Any membrane you find in the fruit from around the pit can easily be scraped away with a spoon.
How to Use Mamey Sapote
Fresh, ripe, raw mamey is delicious. It’s a creamy, desserty fruit you can spoon right into your mouth like a pudding.
We really enjoy mamey ice cream, and we also love “paletas” made from mamey. A paleta is like a creamsicle or frozen fruit bar on a stick. Because it’s creamy, mamey is perfect for a smoothie. But whatever kind of smoothie you like, if you’re a smoothie person, you can check out current prices for a Personal Smoothie Maker on Amazon.
Creamy mamey fruit can also be whipped into a batter and used for baking cakes, muffins, or used as a pastry filling.
Is Mamey Fruit Good for You?
Is there a fruit that’s not good for you? Like with many natural fruits, you’ll find a bounty of health benefits. Similar to bananas, Mamey is a good source of potassium. It is high in dietary fiber, vitamins B6, C, and E. Plus other B vitamins, and even manganese.
Mamey fruit also contains carotenoids, which gives the ripe fruit its rich color similar to pumpkin and carrot. Carotenoids may help to protect the body from certain cancers.
And did I mention it’s delicious? If you’re an egghead and wish to read more, here’s some detailed, sciency info about pouteria sapota a.k.a. Mamey fruit.
Another fruit we’ve enjoyed eating during our travels is fresh tropical papaya.
We’ve found so many things to love south of the border, and you can see them over at our video travels in Mexico.
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