Kei apple
Dovyalis caffra · Tropical fruit
Top 10 pairings
The kei apple is the small, round, golden-yellow fruit of Dovyalis caffra, a thorny shrub or small tree of the willow family native to southern Africa. Intensely tart and apricot-scented, it is eaten fresh with sugar and made into jams, jellies and preserves.
Picking a good onedrag
Glossy gold, firm, sharp apricotSlack, browning, fermenting
Softened and jammyBetter rawA few days blets it softer and rounder, which is what makes it worth eating raw at all. Still sharp, so sprinkle it with sugar. Rich in pectin, so it sets a jelly too.
Skin colourGold deepening to apricot-orange, clean
The squeezeSofter all round, yielding under a thumb
Stem scarScar dry but darkened, the rim sunken
SmellApricot deepened and jammy, carrying