Don’t judge a mamey by its cover: luscious fruit lies within

Published July 30, 2023

With its rough, brown skin and odd, elongated football-like shape, the mamey’s external appearance belies the luscious fruit within.

The sweet flesh inside is a brilliant deep coral-orange, with a taste that some describe as somewhere in the middle of a cantaloupe, an apricot and a papaya, while others compare it to a baked sweet potato or pumpkin pie. Mamey’s texture is smooth and creamy, like a ripe avocado, and despite its large size and the shiny black pit in the middle, it is classified as a berry.

When in season, you’ll find mamey (pronounced mah-MAY) not only in supermarkets but also in vendor markets and, in some areas, sold by the roadside. Just like mangoes, the trees grow big and live a long time, producing an abundance of fruit for more than 20 years. A mature tree can yield up to a half ton of fruit over a long growing season that lasts from January to July. 1

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