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Don't ignore these purple berries this summer when they're aplenty. And if no one has yet shown you how to eat duhat properly, read on. Put ripe berries in a deep bowl, wash them in running water then drain. Sprinkle with salt, cover the bowl with a plate and shake the bowl vigorously for about 30 seconds. Remove the plate cover. Note that you've practically made a mess in the bowl but no matter. Place a berry one at a time on your tongue and bite on the fruit tenderly. Utmost pleasure, really. But beware - the color stains clothes so eat carefully. |
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![]() DALANDAN The local orange. Or what's left of it. In the '60s, we had a variety of local oranges that were big, juicy and sweet. The ladu variety, which was common then, had a deep green and orange peeling that had the shape of, but was much bigger than, the ponkan. A really special variety which delighted many people was the suwikom variety, which had very firm but very sweet pulp bits. There were many varieties that grew in Batangas. Too bad a pestilence killed these oranges trees in the late '60s. Now we're left with these small fruits that are often too sour for eating, but are very juicy and perfect for making into juice. |
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![]() MACAPUNO The macapuno is a mutant of the coconut. Until I had to write this piece, I thought that the macapuno fruit is just an abnormal outgrowth of the regular coconut tree as I had learned as a child. Not anymore, the Philippine Coconut Authority corrected me. The Authority has developed macapuno trees that yield 80 per cent macapuno fruits. The trees grow in abundance in Albay where the Authority's research center is. The macapuno fruit looks like the regular niyog except that it is bigger. Farmers have a way of knocking on the nut to determine if they have macapuno or niyog. The macapuno meat is as thick as the niyog but softer, making it easy to grate. Macapuno is cooked with sugar, sometimes with dayap for flavor, and served as a dessert. Local ice cream makers also have macapuno flavors. |
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This fruit often
regarded as one of the four most delicious fruits in the world along with the mango,
pineapple, and cherimoya. Let me add that the mangosteen is also such an elegantly
designed fruit. If it were a movie personality, the mangosteen would be Audrey Hepburn.
Outside, it is a perfect round of deep purple with a petite green crown. Gently break
through the skin and you understand why it is quite thick - encased within the deep pink
shell is the delicate white meat of the mangosteen. Take time to admire the colors before
you yank out the segments. You don't chew on the meat, by the way. You simply let it slide
with your tongue and suck on the juice, taking care not to bite the seed. You will most
likely encounter sour pieces but the sourness is tempered and not unpleasant. |
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I brought one to the office and everyone was inquiring where the smell was coming from. It was the first time we were going to taste the fruit. General assessment: very sweet. I look forward to eating it again.
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![]() PAHO Yes, these are legitimate fruits, not
undeveloped mangoes. I had thought these were known to Batanguenos alone but these are
familiar in many regions. But I am told of a gentleman farmer in Tarlac who, upon seeing
the paho fruits, thought that he had a diseased mango tree and promptly cut it down. |
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SINEGUELAS Many people always associated sineguelas with the spookiness of its tree before it bore fruit. The sineguelas tree sheds off all its leaves before it flowers, and the fruits appear just in time for the summer. Wait for the fruits to turn red because that's when they're sweet and juicy. Nutritionists tell us that the sineguelas is loaded with Vitamin C. |
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