Water apples
9 March 12
I was delighted to taste my favourite fruit this week. Water apples (also known as bell fruit) are familiar to me from my childhood in West Africa where I called them “pomme d’eau”.
In the hillside of green, a tree with bright red fruit captures my eye.
As I approach the tree, I see that it's not one tree, but two — laden with ripe water apples.
The flowers and fruit of the water apple can form on almost any point of the tree, including on the main trunks.
Generally, ripe water apples are dark red in colour. All of the ones off these trees are a bit pale, and they don't taste as flavoursome as a result.
When biting into a water apple, the consistency of the flesh is similar to that of a crunchy watermelon, and it's quite juicy. Unripe fruit taste very astringent. Each fruit has a small core, containing little seeds surrounded by taste-less flesh.
I haven’t enjoyed water apples since I visited Hong Kong, so it was a treat to have them again. Although these water apples weren’t the sweetest variety, they were still a lovely reminder. Maybe the next lot I come across will be more delicious.
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1 · holly c. · 11 March 2012, 23:21
What a beautiful RED fruit!
2 · Allison D · 12 March 2012, 03:44
I have eaten those before! On an island off the coast of Cairns, Australia
They ARE delicious!
3 · Erin · 12 March 2012, 09:12
Oh wow! I didn’t know you could grow those in Australia! I haven’t seen these since my years growing up in Vanuatu. We called them nukavicca, there was a huge tree outside our house that I would eat the fruit of each year. And when it flowered there would be an amazing pink carpet on the ground from the petals.
Thanks for the little brightening of my day as I remembered :).
4 · Manou · 13 March 2012, 13:44
I can BUY them in Perth but I also happen to know someone with a tree….yum!
5 · Jade · 15 March 2012, 23:05
I didn’t know these grew in Australia either!
Here in Hong Kong, our neighbours have an ENORMOUS tree in their backyard – the fruit is EVERYWHERE, even though our neighbours (and the local monkeys!) are constantly eating it. I’m so pleased to find out what it is! I haven’t tried one yet but I’m going to now.
6 · Shanthini · 4 May 2014, 12:21
Enjoy your adventures. I was looking up some info for my blog ,on bell fruit and landed here :) Thank you !