What is June Plum and how to eat it?
June plum (or ambarella fruit, April plum, golden apple) is a well-known fruit in Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Its tangy taste and crunchy texture make it a fun yet healthy snack option. Let’s explore what is June plum and how to eat it right below.
Table of Contents
What is June Plum?
June plum, also known as ambarella, April plum, or golden apple, is a popular tropical fruit, native to Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. It belongs to the Spondias dulcis species and is widely enjoyed for its tangy taste. The fruit is oval-shaped with a firm outer skin and contains a fibrous, spiky seed at its core, and has a crunchy texture when unripe and softer texture once it ripes. June plums can be eaten unripe or fully ripened.
June plum is a nutritious fruit rich in vitamins and minerals. It is an excellent source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A, fiber, calcium, iron, and antioxidants. Additionally, its low-calorie content makes it a great snack option for those looking to maintain a balanced diet. However, eating too much june plum at a time can lead to stomach pain due to its tanginess.
How Does June Plum Taste?
The flavor of June plum changes as it ripens:
- Unripe June Plum: Green in color, crunchy in texture, and has a tart, slightly sweet flavor. It is often eaten with salt, chili, or shrimp paste in Southeast Asian cuisines. For example, in Vietnam, shrimp salt (muối tôm), chili sale (muối ớt) and shrimp paste (mắm ruốc) are three common dipping sauce to enjoy with june plum.
- Ripe June Plum: Turns yellowish as it matures, with softer flesh and a balanced sweet-tart taste. The ripened fruit can be eaten fresh or used in juices, jams, and desserts.
How to Eat June Plum
Step 1: Peel the Skin
The skin of the June plum is edible but slightly tough, especially when unripe. To enhance its taste and texture, peel off the outer layer using a knife or a peeler.
Step 2: Remove the Flesh from Its Seed
The seed of the June plum is unique—it is rough, fibrous, and covered with long, sharp spikes. Due to this structure, cutting the fruit conventionally like other stone fruits is difficult. Instead, use this method for easy preparation:
- Cut a small piece off the fruit first: Make two shallow cuts, ensuring they do not reach the seed, to remove the first slice easily.
- Continue cutting along the sides of the fruit, using the knife’s leverage to separate the flesh from the spiky seed. For the last piece, make a shallow cut around the seed, ensuring easy removal.
Step 3: Enjoy the Fruit
June plum can be eaten fresh or paired with seasonings to enhance its flavor. In Vietnam, it is commonly enjoyed with: Chili salt (muối ớt), Shrimp salt (muối tôm), Fermented shrimp paste (mắm ruốc). Additionally, June plum can be prepared in other ways, such as: Sugar-preserved June plum , Sweet and sour pickled June plum or Vietnamese June Plum Salad.
Whether eaten fresh or prepared with seasonings, June plum offers a delicious balance of sweet and sour flavors, making it a beloved snack and ingredient in many tropical cuisines.
Other Tropical Fruits
- How to cut a mango
- How to cut a watermelon
- How to cut an pineapple
- How to eat lychee
- How to choose durian
- How to ripen a jackfruit
- How to store rambutans
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