CUBAN FRUITS. 
191 
color, and is extremely juicy. The stone or seed is very large compared 
with the rest of the fruit, and this is especially true of the uncultivated 
varieties. Long fibers cover the stone and run through the pulp of the 
fruit. The season in Cuba lasts from May to September. The mango is 
preferred in the raw state, but is used somewhat in the preparation of 
jams and jellies, and the green fruit when stewed resembles rhubarb. 
The “mangos en almibar” are pieces of mango preserved in a thick syrup, 
while the marmalade of mangos is a thin paste resembling apple sauce in 
appearance. 
Manocillo.— This fruit grows in clusters. It is a species of plum; it 
is tart, and has one fibrous pit. 
Orange (Naranja).— Two varieties of orange are found, one a thin- 
skinned small fruit known as the “china,” and the other a much larger 
fruit with a thick skin. The bitter orange, “naranja agria,” resembles 
the large, thick-skinned, sweet orange in appearance, having a somewhat 
thicker skin, but being about the same size. It grows in a semi-wild state 
in many parts of the island, but is little used except for making “dulces” 
(sweets). Some of the finest Cuban preserves are made from this fruit. 
There are four kinds of orange preserves. “Pasta de naranja” is a thick 
orange paste sold in wooden boxes lined with paper. “Mermelade de 
naranja” is similar to the orange marmalade found on the American 
market. The “naranja en almibar,” or orange in syrup, consists of pieces 
of orange preserved in a heavy syrup and put up in glass. The “cascos 
de naranja,” or preserved orange skins, are made by scraping or rasping 
the skins of oranges to remove the outer yellow part and cooking them 
in a heavy sugar syrup. 
Papaya (Paw Paw). —The papaya is about 10 inches long, commonly 
of an oblong form, ribbed, and having a thick fleshy rind. It is eaten 
raw, or, when green, is boiled as a vegetable; it is also pickled. The 
tree is about 20 feet high and has large leaves. Meat boiled with a 
small portion of the leaf is made tender; or meat can be made tender 
by simply hanging it among the leaves. The seeds are used as a vermifuge. 
Sapota (Sapodilla).— There are two varieties of this fruit in Cuba, one 
being round and the other oval. In the Havana market the latter is in¬ 
correctly known as the nispero, this name being properly applied to the 
loquat (Eriobotrya japonica ). The fruit averages slightly under 2 ounces 
in weight, is brown to greenish-brown in color, appearing not unlike a very 
smooth, dark potato. The skin, however, is much thicker and of coarser 
texture. The pulp is yellowish brown in color, granular in texture, and 
very juicy. It has a characteristic odor and flavor and is very sweet. 
Sapotas are in season from about the 1st of April until the end of the 
summer. The sap of the sapota tree and the juice of the green fruit, 
when boiled down, furnish what is known in commerce as chicle, from 
which chewing gum is made. ^ 
