April 1, 2014

Rose Apple 蓮霧

asian, chinese, fruit, rose apple, taiwan, 蓮霧, rose apple, wax apple, tropical fruit,
By Published: 2014-04-01
A delicious fruit that is a cross between an apple, a pear, and cotton candy?!  What the hey?!  What sort of fruit-strosity could that be?  Why the Rose Apple, or 蓮霧, of course, that little lady of the exotic tropical fruits, beloved and cultivated in Taiwan for hundreds of years.

rose apple, wax apple, tropical fruit, fruit, cotton candy

asian, chinese, fruit, rose apple, taiwan, 蓮霧, rose apple, wax apple, tropical fruit,

Well, to tell the truth, this fruit is not really made from cotton candy (but you guessed that already, I'll bet).  But take a bite out of this light, crunchy yet soft fruit and there it is, taste of apple, taste and texture of pear, texture of cotton candy.  A light delicate taste and texture that charms you with ladylike daintiness until the next thing you know, the whole plate of fruit has disappeared!  

Summer is coming soon to Hong Kong, our long hot wet summers that seem to last forever and ever and one of the few delights to compensate is the lovely flourish of summer fruits that becomes available.  This abundance of wonderful and sometimes strange fruit is one of the pleasures of living in Asia.  There are so many kinds of fruit here that I did not recognize in the beginning, exotic delicious fruits with names like dragon fruit, longan, mangosteen, star fruit, rambutans, etc!  This lovely bell shaped fruit Rose Apple, or 蓮霧, is one of our favorite tropical fruits.

asian, chinese, fruit, rose apple, taiwan, 蓮霧, rose apple, wax apple, tropical fruit,

This graphically charming fruit lends itself easily to a knock out presentation.  Slice it and arrange on a bowl. (My little girl loved the pretty flower it made on the plate!)  The Rose Apple is easily prepared.  Just wash and cut.  Be sure and clean inside the bell shaped hollow.  

When you buy look for a rosy to red color, a light sheen, a waxy glow.  The fruit should not be bruised in any way.  (This fruit is also called Wax Apple and sometimes even Love Apple!)  Apparently there are many different colors of the Rose Apple such a green, purple and even black, but I have only ever encountered the rosy red ones.    Please let me know if you have tasted the other colors; I am curious what they would taste like!

asian, chinese, fruit, rose apple, taiwan, 蓮霧, rose apple, wax apple, tropical fruit,

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5 comments:

  1. Oh, neat! I've heard of rose apples before but had never seen one.

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  2. I have 2 wax apple trees of these variety in my yard. The fruits are sweet like fuji apple but has softer flesh and a little crunchy. They're big with nice dark maroon color 😍. I thank the Lord for my 2 incredible fruit trees in my yard.

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  3. These variety is truly delicious! So sweet, no tartness unlike ordinary rose apples , juicy , like a fuji apple but delicately crunchy. I am lucky to have 2 trees if these kind.

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  4. Hey leacormero - You sure are lucky! I wish I could have an endless supply of these lovely fruit! Have you tried making jam? ~ellen

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