Wax apple

Syzygium samarangense · Tropical fruit

40 pairings

The wax apple (Syzygium samarangense) — also called jambu, rose apple, java apple, bell fruit or wax jambu — is a glossy, bell-shaped tropical fruit from a flowering tree in the myrtle family. Crisp, faintly sweet and exceptionally watery, it is eaten fresh out of hand as a thirst-quencher across Southeast Asia.

Picking a good onedrag

Glossy, taut, heavy, colour deepDull, dented, browning, weeping

Shop freshThe all-rounder: whole out of hand, or diced into rojak-style salads with chilli, salt, lime and a little sugar.Everyday best

SkinBright, matte in a patch or two, a shallow scuff

In the handFirm, gives a fraction at the widest part

The open baseLobes drying at their tips, cup still pale and dry

Smell at the baseAlmost nothing at all — clean, neutral, wet

What to look for, from glossy, taut, heavy, colour deep to dull, dented, browning, weeping.

Preparing