Comments on: Nespoli / Medlar / Loquat / Japanese Medlar ?

By: romana

romana — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 22:30:21 +0000

i was born in san ferdinando, reggio calabria. i recall eatingthese fruits in the summertime and loved them. i have yet to find them in north america, and i am very happy to see them here after 50 years. next year on my trip to my home town, iwill certainly look for them.

By: katherine

katherine — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 08:43:35 +0000

Loquat is for cough and lung in Chinese medicine. Sometimes i would take the Ninjiom Pei Pa Koa (a famous loquat syrup) when got scratchy throat.

You can access info online @
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nin_Jiom_Pei_Pa_Koa
ninjiom.50webs.com

By: Kitchen Butterfly

Kitchen Butterfly — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 21:17:06 +0000

they are Japanese Medlars (took me a whole year to discover them) aka Loquats aka Mispers/Mispels (in Dutch, the reason why I couldn’t find out what they were initially!) I agree the taste sensation is not mind blowing….interesting but…could easily pass it up for a peach. or pear!

By: EJ

EJ — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:48:23 +0000

Hi, they look like Japanese medlars to me or “nespoli de giappone” in Italian. There were plenty of these in Sicily when I visited in spring/summer 2007. (The plural form of nespolo is nespoli.) You’re right – very much like apricots. These 2 websites provide useful info and distinguish between the German medlar and Japanese medlar: https://www.agraria.org/coltivazioniarboree/nespolodelgiappone.htm
https://www.agraria.org/coltivazioniarboree/nespolocomune.htm

By: rubie

rubie — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:31:08 +0000

Hi MM! I saw that fruit in the farmers market here in Long Beach, It reminded me of chico not of the taste but of the flesh, the way it is attached to the seed.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 01:25:55 +0000

Thanks for the info and links MM. Footloose, the author did not mention the local name of butter fru it.

By: Jack Hammer

Jack Hammer — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:03:59 +0000

The second picture is definitely a loquat…one of the ingredients of the Chinese hang-over and general pick-me-up medicine “Pipa Gao” which one can buy from Chinese pharmacies on Ongpin in Binondo, Manila.

Loquat has five ovules of which one to five mature into seed(s)…but so far I have always come across one seed only, it grows in the Sahyadri Range of Mountains in
Western India.

It was formerly thought to be closely related to the genus Mespilus, and is still sometimes known as the Japanese medlar.

By: deebee

deebee — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 15:01:47 +0000

Here in Portugal, it’s called nespera. Grown in backyards, it’s the equivalent of bayabas. Nothing spectacular about it’s taste though. And yes, it’s in season now.

By: alilay

alilay — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:57:03 +0000

pic of loquats from my MIL’s backyard in San Diego taken last memorial day https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=12615447&id=724280264

By: Marketman

Marketman — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 21:19:37 +0000

Thanks for the link to photos Sha, beautiful as always. And yes, nispero/nespoli, I guess it is in season… :)