More Malta’s summer fruits

These are two more of my childhood fruits which I used to miss quite a lot, although the first one shows up in American stores once a year. The pomegranate, also called the Punica granatum is an edible berry and is between a lemon and a grapefruit in size, with a rounded hexagonal shape, and has thick reddish skin. The exact number of seeds in a pomegranate can vary from 200 to about 1400 seeds, contrary to some beliefs that all pomegranates have exactly the same number of seeds. Each seed has a surrounding water-laden pulp ranging in color from white to deep red or purple. The seeds are embedded in a white, spongy, astringent pulp. They grow in abundance in the Middle East and warm European countries. The pomegranate has been mentioned in the book of Exodus and has many benefits, even though some people find them annoying as every berry has a seed, which is edible, and as we said about the prickly pear, we then let nature take care of the rest. In Maltese, the pomegranate is called a Rummiena.

The loquat also known as Eriobotrya japonica, is a fruit tree in the family Rosaceae, indigenous to central China.  It was formerly thought to be closely related to the genus Mespilus, (thus the Maltese word, Naspli) and is still sometimes known as the Japanese medlar. Loquat fruits, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, the size of a plum, with a smooth yellow or orange skin. The succulent, tangy flesh is white, yellow or orange and very sweet, and with a brown pit. The skin, though thin, can be peeled off manually if the fruit is ripe. The fruits are the sweetest when soft and orange. The flavor is a mix of peach, citrus, and mild mango.