The Pilgrim’s Pots and Pans

Manilkara zapota (L.) van Royen

Very sweet, they taste like honey. Quite smooth, they glide on the tongue. Each year, starting in late November till just when about summer announces its arrival; we have these fruits that very few can resist. Even with a single tree, sacks upon sacks of the fruit are brought down in one season. There was even an exceptionally good year when the branches of the tree almost broke from the weight of its own fruits. Now, that’s what is called bountiful!

The chico tree is one of what I would call migrant plants. They are native to the Yucatan peninsula, in Mexico . They seem to have been introduced early in the country. According to Doreen Fernandez, the Philippine name is from the contraction of the Spanish chico zapote, which in turn is from the Nahuatl xicotzapotl. Although Doreen mentions four varieties or cultivars in Tikim, only two are commonly known to the public, especially in Pampanga. These more common varieties are Ponderosa, which are large and juicy but have a coarse and grainy texture and pineras, which are small and sweet but not as juicy.

Our tree has a long and interesting history. It was a seedling that came to our yard after the Second World War. One of my uncles, who was then a student at UPLB, smuggled it home because it was supposed to be special, a hybrid of Ponderosa and pineras. True enough, it bore big fruits that are not only sweet and juicy but with smooth flesh as well. It also had a seed or two to a fruit, unlike others which could have as many as six or even a dozen for the bigger varieties.

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Oh I didn’t know that what we commonly refer to as Indian mangoes are really called katchamita, which of course originate from India.

A previous post articulates how different mango varieties are eaten in the Philippines. Indian mangoes, for us, are best eaten unripe, for snacking with baguc (bagoong, salted shrimp fry paste) or a bit of salt.

Semi-ripe and ripe tamarind (Tamarindus indica)

For the children of the not so distant past, the first day of March brings on the feelings of sweet anticipation. For one, the end of the school year would only be in a few weeks then the long summer vacation would be in full swing.

Summer, what delight it brings! Days of endless leisure, free from schoolwork and the freedom to do anything the desires of one’s heart! Ah, summer!

I am not sure how today’s generation view the coming of the summer season given the initial ravages of climate change, when summer can sometimes be felt in October or other months. However, children being children, I am sure everyone looks forward to climbing trees laden with fruits. And what fruits we have!

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Filipino cuisine has always been thought of as intrinsically a fusion of many influences both from the East and the West. Mind you, this is not the fusion of deliberately combining seemingly disparate ingredients but the natural co-mingling of cultures that have crossed paths through the centuries. Due to this confluence, a lot of indigenisation has taken place and there are a lot of things we take for granted.

One of these is how we seem to think of tropical fruits that originate in South and Central American as “native” to the Philippines. The avocado is one of these.

This was meant for Ces’ Lasang Pinoy event and has been languishing in its draft form. It took Sam’s avocado taste test to have me post it. Hehe! One of the ways she had them was “mashed up some avocado and sweetened it with Agave syrup before freezing it” – and she didn’t like it at all.

I wouldn’t either. Plain avocado with sugar doesn’t even sound palatable. I am not so good in explaining taste sensations but let me just say it sounds like a dichotomy, two distinct tastes and textures that can’t come together. They need something to meld them together and milk will do that.

Avocado Frosty
Blend together:
2 small avocados
1/2 cup fresh carabao’s milk
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup ice cubes (if to be eaten immediately, not frozen)

Chill or freeze. Serve and enjoy!

Note: you don’t need a blender for this. Simply scrape the avocado with a spoon. Add the milk and sugar and mash it slightly. Add the ice. It’s done!

Antidesima bunius

A few years ago, isip trees (bignay, Antidesima bunius) were plentiful on the riverbank near our house. After Mt. Pinatubo’s eruption, only a handful remain. Today, a lone tree stands but is always laden with fruits in the summer.

The fruit which was taken for granted seems to have found a following with products such as bignay wine and jam being newly marketed to the high-end clientele.

This is how the Department of Agriculture defines it:

Indigenous to Southeast Asia. A small, attractive dark green, dioecious tree attaining a height of 10 m. Fruits are small, 8-10 mm long, dark red or purple when ripe, juicy and subacid containing a single flat seed. The fruits make an excellent wine and can also be made into jam and jelly.

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