Loquats — A Delicate Fruit Most Stores Can't Be Bothered With

Loquats bruise if you look at them wrong, which is exactly why you rarely find them in ordinary shops — they're too fragile to survive standard handling and shipping, so most people only ever taste them from a backyard tree or a specialty grower. Like citrus, they only ripen on the tree; picked green, they'll never sweeten up on the counter, no matter how long you wait. A ripe loquat is a deep, glowing orange with no green left, and gives slightly to gentle pressure without feeling wrinkled or shrivelled. Inside, the pale flesh has a flavour that lands somewhere between apricot, peach, and mango, with a light citrus tang running underneath. There are 1 to 5 large, glossy brown seeds in the centre — not eaten — and the thin skin can be eaten along with the flesh or peeled away, whichever you prefer.