Fruit
Loquat
NísperoNespraEriobotrya japonica
It's the first stone fruit of the year and one of the briefest: a few weeks between April and June and it's gone. Inside are huge glossy seeds that take up half the fruit.
When
Around: Apr–Jun · At its best: May
Around: Apr–Jun · At its best: May
Around: Oct–Dec · At its best: Nov
Around here
The loquat we eat is the Japanese one, which reached the Mediterranean in the 19th century and stayed on in courtyards and gardens all along the coast. The benchmark area is close by: Callosa d'en Sarrià (Alicante), with its Nísperos Callosa d'En Sarrià PDO and the Algerie variety. In Catalonia it's more of a back-garden tree than a big crop.
At the market
- Deep, even orange colour, with no greenish patches.
- It should give slightly when pressed; if it's hard, it won't ripen further.
- A few brown freckles on the skin don't matter; soft dark bruises do.
- If it still has its fuzz and stalk, it's been handled little.
At home
- They bruise at the slightest touch: buy only what you'll eat in two or three days.
- Out of the fridge they last a couple of days; inside, in one layer, up to a week.
- Once peeled they brown quickly; a few drops of lemon slow it down.
If you have too much
- Loquat jam, peeled and seeded, with a little lemon.
- In light syrup, in sterilised jars, to have some out of season.
- Freeze them peeled, stoned and halved, sprinkled with lemon; best for smoothies or compote.
In the kitchen
- Straight from the tree, peeled with your fingers.
- In a fruit salad with strawberries and cherries, which share the market with it.
- Roasted with a little honey and served with yoghurt.
- In a salad with bitter leaves and fresh cheese.
- In a chutney with onion and spices, for white meat.
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 47 kcal
- Water
- 87% water
- Carbs
- 12.1 g
- Fibre
- 1.7 g
- Protein
- 0.4 g
Stands out for
It isn't a «source» of anything by the EU rules: you eat it because it's good, which is plenty.
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- StrawberryMar–JunStrawberries don't ripen after picking: if the shoulders are white, white they'll stay. Follow your nose: the ones you can smell from across the stall are the ones to buy.
- CherryMay–JulThe cherry is the fruit you eat standing at the stall, «just one more». The season is short and cherries don't ripen after picking, so what you buy is what you get.
- ApricotMay–JulA good apricot splits with your fingers and lets go of its stone on its own. The season is short, late May to July, and a cold-stored one is nothing like one from the tree.