MAMEY DE SANTO DOMINGO. 25 



MAMEY COLORADO. 

 (Lucuma mammosa. ) 



The fruit derives its local name from a very slight outward resem- 

 blance to the mammee {Mammea ainericana). The two fruits, how- 

 ever, are in no way related nor do they resemble each other internally. 

 The mamey Colorado is chocolate brown in color, oval or round in 

 shape, and averages 700 grams (1.5 pounds) in weight. The skin is 

 thick and coarse in texture. The pulp varies in color from yellowish 

 red to deep scarlet and is slightly fibrous, firm, but mealy and not 

 juicy. Being sweet with very little acid the flavor is insipid. It is 

 eaten in a fresh state and also stewed with sugar. 



The fruit usually contains but 1 seed, although as many as 4 are 

 frequently found. They are embedded in a soft core and are irregu- 

 larly oval, polished black on three sides and gray on the fourth. 

 The season is from December to August, during which time mameys 

 bring from 5 to 15 cents, according to their size. 



When purchasing samples an effort was made to secure the preserves 

 of both this fruit and the mamey de Santo Domingo, but the pre- 

 serves of both varieties are labeled simply "Mamey," and on open- 

 ing the cans some weeks after their purchase it was found that only 

 the mamey de Santo Domingo had been secured. 



MAMEY DE SANTO DOMINGO. 



{Mammea americana. ) 



This is a large light-brown fruit, ranging from 3 to 10 inches in 

 diameter, the larger sizes weighing upward of TOO grams (1.5 pounds). 

 It has a heavy stem and a small blossom navel. The skin is thick and 

 fibrous, the outer surface being tough and covered with small dark- 

 brown spots. The pulp is dark y^ellow in color, firm, and very juicy. 

 It has a sweet characteristic flavor and a pleasant aromatic odor. In 

 the large fruits the seed measures 3 inches in diameter and is dark 

 brown, very rough and hard, and clings tenaciously to the pulp. In 

 some respects the fruit resembles a very large clingstone peach. It is 

 eaten raw and is also highly esteemed for preserving, retailing at 

 about 10 cents apiece. 



Three samples of preserved mamey were examined. The "mamey 

 en almibar" are slices of the fruit preserved in sugar sirup. The 

 "mermelade de mamey" is a marmalade of the fruit. One sample of 

 the "mamey en almibar" was put up in -tin cans, but the others were 

 in glass. The analyses of these products are found in Table VIII. 



