History
Mammee apple or Mamey (Mammea americana) is native to the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica) and northern South America. The Amerindians were big fans of this fruit and called it "manchibouï".
Father Labat, who found out about the fruit in the 18th century during his stay on the island, noted that "the French gave the name of apricot to a fruit that the Spaniards call "mamet". This French name suits it only for the color of the flesh because for everything else it does not look like it at all." Its French name that is Abricot des Antilles (meaning West Indian apricot) was given by early settlers because of the scent and color of the flesh reminiscent of apricots of Europe.
Varieties
There is a single variety of mammee apple.
The tree in dark green foliage spreads its opposite, oval and thick leaves 20 meters high. Its fragrant white flower gives birth to a fruit, big and round, grayish brown skin. It is ripe when the skin or the bark comes off easily (keep a few cm of stem for better conservation).
This astringent bark thick 0.5 to 1 cm thick overlies a thin white and bitter membrane that sticks to the pulp. The latter contains 1-4 oval brown seeds that can measure up to 7 cm long.
The mammee apple is a fruit that can reach 25 cm in diameter and weigh 4 kg! The fruit is separated into quarters according to the number of seeds. The fleshy and filamentous pulp recalls the smell and color of European apricots. Succulent, this pulp is eaten very ripe after removing the whitish envelope that surrounds it.
Health benefits
All parts of the tree are said to have medicinal and insecticidal properties. The insecticidal properties of the tree are well-known in the West Indies. The seeds are used in hair rubs to destroy lice, ticks, quids and other animal parasites. The fruits, tree bark, leaves and resin of immature fruits can also be used to get rid of these pests. The pulp of the fruit applied to wounds accelerates healing.
The distilled flowers produce an aromatic liqueur "Creole water" once renowned for its digestive properties, as well as an essential oil used in perfumery.
In Trinidad, a bark decoction is used to make a famous cough suppressant and in Puerto Rico an infusion of the leaves is used as a febrifuge.
Uses
Mammee apple is used to make juices, jams, marmalades, fruit jellies, tarts, etc.. It can be eaten cooked.
