As a child, were you ever prohibited from eating a specific fruit? Might seem like a weird question, but I was! Meet the Limoncillo (also known as Spanish lime, genip, genipe, quenepa, mamoncillo, or honeyberry), the one fruit my parents did not allow me to eat unsupervised. Heck! Even supervised I was not allowed to eat it.
You might be wondering why and as you scroll down, you’ll realize it: the limoncillo has a huge pit that’s covered in sweet flesh. You need to carefully suck on it, not to hard or it’ll choke you and as a parent, it’s the last thing you want to experience. Having your kid choking on a pit the size of their esophagus. Not a good time, so my parents just said no limoncillos until I was old enough.
Well, I was old enough sometime during my tween years and when August rolled around, limoncillos were everywhere! The school I attended also had a limoncillo tree, making it a fun fruit to eat when the school year started.
To eat them, make sure to previously wash the fruit and break open with your front teeth. Remove the top skin and you’ll reveal the fleshy pit. You can either suck on the fruit, holding the fruit in your hand or remove the pit and suck it inside your mouth CAREFULLY. Don’t bite into it, because it’s a hard pit. Remove and repeat.
I’ve now consumed about 10 limoncillos trying to get a definite flavor to describe to you. It’s sweet, but it’s starchy in a way. Like a green banana? Be careful, it does stain clothes if it gets on it. It’s…incredibly hard to describe. It’s fun to eat though! Normally eaten fresh, it’s available in Latin American markets in the US during the season. I haven’t seen many, if any, preparations with this. Have you?
 |
| The dangerous pit! |
Interested in more Caribbean fruits? Check out my posts on Avocados, Guavas, Passion Fruit, and Mangoes! Have you ever tried Limoncillo? How would you describe the taste?
Remember to enter my Vanilla Giveaway which ends tonight (Sunday 28th) at 11pm! Good Luck!
This is so informative. I have never seen or had any. The first pic especially is so striking!! Great post girlie Nelly!
We have an international market not too far from my home. I am definitely going to see if I can find these there. They look amazing, and I am more than a little curious. I linked to you from Mingle Monday. Thanks for a great post.
I never had those, but I like how cute they look! I Love your photos!
Hmmm… I’ve never tried a limoncillo, but if they are like lychees as others have said, the best way I’ve had it was in a martini 😉 How they infused the flavour I have no idea, but it tasted great!
I love that you introduce new food-things to your readers… well, at least to readers like myself: someone who’s not a food blogger and has no baking/cooking training.
Thank you for yet another fabulous post!
Your photos are lovely as always :))
I’ve never seen this before! It does sound like a challenge to eat, but I bet the flavor is worth it. Of course my dentist would certainly take exception to the process of breaking the shell with your front teeth! 🙂 I’ll have to look for them the next time I visit my Latin American market. Great post!
This really looks like our longane in Reunion Island! http://s2.e-monsite.com/2010/03/14/03/resize_550_550//longane.jpg It’s really good! Now that i’m thinking about it it’s been long since i ate it!
Hugs!!!
I’ve had these little amazing fruit in Key West! There are lots of trees around and guys sell the fruit on the corners when in season.
This is new to me but looks like something I’d love to try. I love your description!
Loveeeee this post ! I’m getting on the Fruit Bandwagon right now! Great info. Gorgeous photos! Thanks for sharing.