Umbu

Spondias tuberosa · Tropical fruit

40 pairings

The umbu (Spondias tuberosa) is a small, round-to-oval tropical fruit from the umbuzeiro, a drought-hardy tree native to the semi-arid caatinga of north-eastern Brazil. Greenish-yellow and thin-skinned, it has soft, juicy, sweet-tart pulp around a single large stone and is eaten fresh, pulped into juice, frozen, or boiled with milk into the regional dessert umbuzada.

Picking a good onedrag

UnderripeOverripe

Yellow rising, firmAcid easing, flesh still firm under a thin skin. Sharp, refreshing eating and good juice, and this is the one that gets home from the stall without bruising itself flat.Tart, and it travels

SkinGreen going pale, yellow rising through it

SqueezeFirm, the faintest give, no thumbprint left

SmellSweetness coming up under the green resin

Reading a just ripe one. Move the slider and the rest of this page — nutrition, pairings — re-scores with it.

Preparing